


The Lord And The Teacher

by Blue_Night



Series: Trifels: Tales and Legends from the Pfälzer Wald [6]
Category: Football RPF, Original Work, Real Person Fiction
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Historical, Anal Sex, Aristocracy, Blow Jobs, Developing Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Explicit Sexual Content, Falling In Love, First Time, Happy Ending, Love Confessions, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Rescue Missions, Romance, Unrequited Crush, class distinctions, winning trust
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-03
Updated: 2017-11-05
Packaged: 2018-09-21 20:14:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 68,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9564566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_Night/pseuds/Blue_Night
Summary: Marco Reus is a young teacher, coming to Castle Lindelborn to educate and teach the young earl's only son Oscar. Robert Lando, the Earl of Lindelborn is a young widower and obviously not very interested in his son. Will Marco be able to win Oscar's trust and make father and son come closer again and maybe even win Robert's heart?





	1. Witching Hour

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Arrested](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arrested/gifts), [GoForGoals](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoForGoals/gifts), [mariothellama](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mariothellama/gifts), [Janie94](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Janie94/gifts), [pinkquill22](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkquill22/gifts), [eafay70](https://archiveofourown.org/users/eafay70/gifts).
  * Inspired by [1911: 'hier hast du dein Herzblut gegeben'](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8588872) by [mariothellama](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mariothellama/pseuds/mariothellama). 
  * Inspired by [In the Morning of the Times](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4424519) by [Arrested](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arrested/pseuds/Arrested). 



> This was supposed to be a oneshot but of course turned out to become longer than I had planned. It will yet be only a short WIP with a couple of chapters, I wanted to write another historical story with one of my favorite roles for Robert Lewandowski ever: the proud Earl of Lindelborn.  
> This story is settled in the late 19th century, and I chose to ignore that Castle Lindelborn has become a castle ruin a long time ago, in my story, it is still intact and a proud castle. Castle Berwartstein is indeed still intact, rebuilt and still inhabited, and I thought it a good place for a school.  
> I changed Robert's surname into a name that sounds more German, the Polish name wouldn't really fit in here, I hope you don't mind that. It is still the Robert we all know and love.
> 
> Dear Arrested, I shamelessly borrowed your Oscar again, turning him into a ten-years-old boy, I hope you will have fun reading him in this story. :-)
> 
> Dear GoForGoals, there is no other reason for me to gift this to you than you being a wonderful friend and me wanting to do that, I hope you will enjoy this story as well. :-)
> 
> Dear mariothellama, your wonderful historical Leweus-WIP inspired me to write this AU, knowing how much you love our proud Earl of Lindelborn, I hope you will like this. :-)
> 
> Dear Janie94, having teased you with your birthday gift that much, this is for you as well to make the wait for it a little bit shorter. :-)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert, Earl of Lindelborn searches for a teacher for his feisty and defiant son Oscar, and Marco Reus seems to be the right choice. But will Marco stay in Castle Lindelborn, the old manor of the earl after meeting the ghost Kuno in the middle of the night?

_Prologue:_

 

_“You must understand that, my lord, I really have no other choice! The parents of the other pupils wouldn't understand it if Oscar was allowed to stay here after what he has done!” Mr. Pepper, the director of the very expensive college Castle Berwartstein peered at his visitor from over his glasses, uncomfortably shifting his weight under the intensive gaze of the deep blue eyes that stared back at him without blinking._

_“It wasn't the first time something like that happened, and Oscar has gone too far this time. Tying his classmate Karl to the oak in our park, naked and without food and water for the entire night is nothing I can just wave off. Karl's father, Lord Watzke, Baron of Treis was beside himself! He demanded serious punishment for Oscar!”_

_The handsome and aristocrat features of Mr. Pepper's visitor gave nothing away. “It is summer, Mr. Pepper, and the nights are pleasantly warm, so Karl has surely survived this night wearing nothing than his birthday suit unscathed. Not to mention that I was under the impression that your pupils are not allowed to drink and eat during the nighttime peace anyway. Did you change this? Are your students that starved that they need to drink and eat during the nights to stay healthy?” The voice of the visitor was smooth and held a hint of amusement._

_Mr. Pepper's already flushed face reddened even more, and he wiped over his damp forehead with a not so white any longer handkerchief._

_“Of course, not my lord, none of my pupils is starved!” the plump man with the bald head objected in a high pitched voice, and the lord “hmmed' at that._

_“I see, then my son's deed didn't hurt anything other than the young baron's pride, I guess. Did Karl remember to mention that he poured a bucket with cold water over Oscar's bed at first so my son had to sleep in a wet bed?”_

_Mr. Pepper's face turned crimson. “He was punished for that, my lord. Our students are not allowed to take matters in their own hands!”_

_His visitor nodded. “I see. Lord Watzke's son is of course a more important pupil than Oscar. I will comply with your wish and take Oscar home with me and look for another school more capable of educating their students not only in maths and science but also in appropriate demeanor then. Good luck with the young baron, Mr. Pepper.”_

_The visitor rose to his feet in one single elegant and fluent move and took his head to put it back on. “I guess that my son is waiting outside for me?”_

_Mr. Pepper stumbled to his own feet and circled the huge desk, hitting his thigh in the process. “Of course, my lord, of course. Oscar has packed his things this morning.”_

_Another stern look from the deep blue eyes made the headmaster of Castle Berwartstein duck his head between his plump shoulders. His visitor only turned around and exited the musty office, inhaling deeply the fresh air when he stepped over the threshold of the old castle where he had spent his days as a young student as well. Nothing had improved since then, and he straightened his shoulders and walked over to the young boy with the unruly brown hair and brown eyes waiting for him beside his carriage. Oscar looked up at him, and his father sighed, briefly ruffling the smooth curls. “Come on, Oscar, it's time to go home.”_

 

***

 

Robert Lando, Earl of Lindelborn leaned back in his armchair, eyeing the young man at the other side of the desk with pursed lips.

“So what makes you think that you will be able to not only educate my son, but also teach him manners and respect, Mr. Reus?” the earl with the dark hair and the piercing blue eyes asked, and Marco raised his chin and looked the older man straight in his eyes. The young teacher knew that he'd better not make any mistake now, because the Earl of Lindelborn wouldn't give him a second chance if he failed, and Marco really needed this job.

The last family where he had educated their two sons had lost all of their money almost overnight because of a ship with their goods that had sunken, and Marco had had to leave them and search for another job more or less overnight as well. Saying goodbye to the two young boys had been really heartbreaking, Anselm and Julian clinging to him with red and teary eyes, and Marco still missed them badly. But it wouldn't help matters to dwell in self-pity and wistful memories, and Marco lifted his chin a little bit higher and said: “I have made the experience that treating children with the same respect we expect from them is the most successful way to made them mirror our behavior and show respect and manners as well, my lord.”

The Earl of Lindelborn didn't respond to his statement, only considered him with an unreadable expression. If he had noticed the hidden challenge in Marco's words, then he didn't let it show.

Mr. Tuchel, the principal of the agency Marco had gone to after losing his job had told him that Oscar, Baron Lando, the Earl of Lindelborn's son, had worn three teachers within eight months, none of them staying for longer than three months before almost fleeing from the earl's villa in Bad Bergzabern. Mr. Tuchel hadn't gone into detail, but his frown and his worried gaze had told Marco that the young lord seemed to be ineducable in his opinion. No other teacher of Mr. Tuchel's agency had been willing to even consider becoming Oscar's teacher afterwards, and the post was vacant since the last teacher had left the villa two months ago.

Marco didn't have much of a choice because good jobs were rare these days, and here he sat before the large wooden desk in Lord Lando's office in Castle Lindelborn, the old manor of the lineage of the Lindelborns. The villa in Bad Bergzabern needed to be renovated, and Mr. Tuchel had told Marco that the young earl preferred to spend the summer months in his castle instead of his villa when the small health resort was overcrowded with guests and visitors.

Marco preferred the peace and quiet of the pristine nature on top of the mountain where Castle Lindelborn sat enthroned anyway, and he resisted the urge to shift his weight in his comfortable chair as he waited for Lord Robert's answer.

“You seem to be very sure about that, Mr. Reus,” the dark-haired earl finally said, his voice as impassive as his face. “Mr. Tuchel sent me your testimonials, and I am willing to give you a chance and prove yourself capable of teaching my son. Oscar is very intelligent, but becomes bored rather quickly, so you'll better make sure to keep his interest in your lessons.”

Marco didn't bat an eye. “I think that this won't be a problem, my lord,” he said, and his counterpart smiled mockingly. “We will see, Mr. Reus, we will see. Did you bring your belongings? It would be good if you could already start tomorrow.”

Marco nodded his head, allowing the small exhale of relief to escape his lips. “I did, my lord.”

Robert, Earl of Lindelborn, rose to his feet and took the small bell to ring for his butler, Marco standing up together with him, as well. “Mr. Kehl will show you your room, Mr. Reus. I'll expect you to dine with me, I want to know more about your last job and your teaching methods.”

Marco bowed before the young earl and took his two bags. “Of course, my lord, as you wish,” he said, following the butler who had entered the room out of the office, wondering where and what he had gotten himself into this time.

 

***

 

Marco woke up in the middle of the night to a strange howling that seemed to come from the door of his chamber. His quarters were housed in the tower of the proud castle, and Marco had enjoyed the view over the green mountains of the Pfälzer Wald after unpacking his belongings and washing the dust of his rather long journey from his face and his hands.

One of the maids had brought him to the splendid dining room when it had been time for dinner, and Marco had answered to all of the earl's questions honestly and sincerely. The evening had been much more pleasant and relaxed than he had feared it would be, and his heart had missed a beat when the good-looking young earl had wished him good night with a small smile enlightening his beautiful, male features.

Marco had bowed and wished his new employer a good night as well, grateful that he could withdraw and go to bed. The day had been exhausting, and he needed to be well-rested the next day when he would meet his new pupil for the first time. He had tried to read a little bit in the warm light of the flickering candle on the nightstand, but given up his tries after little more than two pages and doused the light to sleep instead.

It was still dark outside, Marco had left the curtain open when he had gone to bed, and the pale light of the moon shone through the small window and threw gray shadows over the furniture. The howl that had woken him up sounded again, and the young teacher sat up and looked at the door with narrowed eyes. There was a rather small and oddly looking figure, dressed in what could only be a white bed sheet, waving with its arms through the air and making howling and mewling noises.

Marco suppressed a smile and cocked his head to the side. “Uh, you must be the poor ghost of this castle, right? What's your name, ghost?” he said cheerfully. The 'ghost' paused, obviously taken aback by Marco's brave behavior.

“Why are you not scared?” the 'ghost' finally stammered in the high voice of what could only be a nine or ten years old boy.

Marco pretended to muse about that. “Hmm, I don't know. It's probably because you look as if you were one of the nicer ghosts?” he countered, smiling at the small figure under the sheet. “Should I be scared? You won't cast a spell on me, will you?”

The 'ghost' waved with his arms again, apparently hoping to impress Marco with that. “I'm a ghost, not a witch,” he said reproachfully, “I'm here to scare you away, not to bewitch you. I promised my friend, the earl's son, that I would scare his stupid teachers away.”

“I see.” Marco nodded sincerely. “But you do look like a nice ghost. I could try to deliver you from your cruel fate of having to scare young teachers away, what do you think? This must be very tiring for you.”

The 'ghost' stamped his foot. “It worked with the last one! Besides, I can't be delivered from my fate, I have to keep the promise I gave Oscar!” he whined, and Marco had a hard time keeping the chuckle inside.

“I see,” he only said, giving his voice a serious tone and looking appropriately impressed, “so you don't want to be delivered, but rather keep your promise like a real friend would do, that's honorable of you. Oscar is lucky to have such a friend like you truly are. We could make a deal, ghost. You will give me some time, a couple of weeks or so, and watch me carefully, and if your friend Oscar still wants you to scare me away after that time, I will let you scare me away. What do you think? Does that sound fair to you?”

The 'ghost' tilted his head to the side like Marco had done earlier, obviously thinking about Marco's suggestion as he eyed him through the small slits in the sheet in the height of his small face. “You will keep your part of the deal if Oscar wants me to make you go away after that time?” he finally asked mistrustfully, and Marco nodded his head. “I will, scout's honor!”

“Fair enough, we have a deal, then,” the 'ghost' agreed with a disappointed sigh.

Marco beamed at him. “That's great, thank you. Will you tell me your name, now, ghost? To fix our deal, I mean?”

The 'ghost' hesitated but then, sighed again. “My name is Osc... I mean my name is K-Kunoo...” he hastily corrected himself, straightening under his sheet to look taller.

Marco bowed before the white figure. “Kuno, what a honorable name for a ghost. I am sure that you have once been a brave and merciless knight here in the castle, chasing all the bad guys away with your sword. I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Kuno. But, the witching hour must almost be over now, you'll better hurry to go back to your sleeping place, I don't want you to get into trouble and break some ghost law or rule.”

“But...” Kuno tried to object before slumping his shoulders and turning around to leave the chamber without having succeeded in his attempts to scare the next teacher away.

“I wish you a good night – I mean day – ghost Kuno!” Marco called after him. “I'm looking forward to our next encounter!”

The 'ghost' only “hrmpfed!” at that, closing the door behind himself with a rather loud noise, and Marco shook his head and pulled his knees to his chest, eventually allowing the laughter tickling in his throat to break free.

“Oh my, Oscar, we will have a lot of fun together, that's for sure!”


	2. Meeting Oscar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco has spent the first night in Castle Lindelborn and has already met Oscar in the disguise of the ghost Kuno spooking around there. Now, he is supposed to meet the real Oscar and convince Oscar's father Lord Robert that his unusual teaching methods will keep Oscar's interest in his lessons for long enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback to the first chapter of my 19th century romance novel about my favorite Robert ever to write, the proud Earl of Lindelborn. Teacher Marco is also one of my favorites, and I have so much fun with this story. The updates will slow down though, I won't have much time during the next two weeks because of work and family business and another pressing story I have to write at the moment, the first chapter to be posted next week on Friday, the 10th February. :-)
> 
> Castle Lindelborn is a castle ruin for several hundred years, settled in the south of the Pfälzer Wald, and the experts are not sure about its looks when it was still intact, so I won't go into detail about its appearance too much, the focus will lie on the characters showing up in this story. I also couldn't leave Robert without servants or them being some kind of invisible ghosts, and I also couldn't go with male servants only, so I decided to let my three girls from Dancing in the Moonlight show up here. Mathilda is Lord Robert's cook in this story, and Jenny and Helena will be his two maids. :-)
> 
> As always, your feedback is what makes me write and post in the first place, especially when I have only little time left for writing or other things. Every kudo, comment subscription and bookmark is my biggest motivation to hurry with the next update. :-)

Marco had slept like a log after his encounter with 'ghost Kuno', and he was in a good mood when he woke up to the first rays of the orange morning sun sneaking their way into his chamber through the small window. He splashed cold water in his face and took the time to arrange his blond hair to a neat quiff, his favorite hairdo, before stepping to the window and enjoy the beautiful sight of the sun slowly rising over the horizon for some peaceful minutes.

The young teacher didn't mind that the window was rather small, he was happy to have a room with a window in the first place, especially one that provided him with such a breathtaking view, because the quarters in his former employers' house hadn't had any window at all, being pitch black even on a bright summer day without the light of the two candles he had been provided with to illuminate his small chamber and see what he was doing. Marco hadn't spent much time in his room back then, but he was looking forward to withdraw in his new home after work to read a book or muse about his next lessons, his current quarters the most splendid ones he had ever called his own.

The tower room that was his new home now was actually rather big, and he had not only a bed with a nightstand and a wardrobe for his clothes, but also a washstand with a mirror, a table with two chairs, a comfortable armchair placed under the window and a wooden chest to put away his other belongings. Marco also didn't need to march through half of the castle when he needed to relieve himself, because there was a privy on the same floor only three doors away, a true luxury Marco hadn't expected to find in an ancient castle at all.

Sebastian Kehl, the lord's butler, had shown him around the previous day, and Marco had a good sense of direction and found his way to the kitchen where he would take his meals with the other servants and maids easily.

The Earl of Lindelborn didn't belong to those aristocrats who employed a maid or a servant for each and every little thing, he had a butler, a cook, two maids and two servants for the laundry, the cleaning and the daily business, a gardener a carter and an equerry for his horses, that was all Lord Lindelborn employed beside Marco himself as Oscar's teacher.

Considering the impressive seize of the castle and the earl's wealth, the number of his employees was pretty small, even more because they all had one day off every week, but it seemed to be enough and work quite well. Oscar, Lord Robert's son, had had a nurse before he had been sent to the college, but she was too old to see to a feisty ten years old boy any longer, and the young earl had told Marco that he would have to overtake her duties at least partly because he didn't thought Oscar too old for a nanny.

Marco was fine with that, it would make things easier for him and help him to get to know the boy better, something he was very much looking forward to after their first remarkable encounter.

“Good morning, Mr. Reus! I hope your first night in Castle Lindelborn was a pleasant one,” Sebastian greeted him when he entered the kitchen, and Marco smiled at him and returned his greeting cheerfully.

“Good morning, Sebastian, yes it was, and I hope you slept well too!” he said, gifting the young maid Jenny serving him with fresh bread and eggs with one of his lopsided smiles. “Thank you, Jenny, it smells delicious. I wish you a good morning too!”

“Uhm, thank you, Mr. Reus,” the young maid said, her round cheeks coloring in a nice pink. Marco noticed the hidden glances she exchanged with the blond butler after filling his cup with fresh coffee.

Sebastian, who had been busied with polishing the silver cutlery, eyed Marco curiously. “I guess you slept undisturbed then, as well rested as you seem to be, Mr. Reus?”

Marco regretted that the butler - who wasn't that much older than he himself - called him by his surname while he himself used his birth name, but he had learned to be patient and wait for the right opportunity to change such things.

“I slept wonderfully, why do you ask?” Marco answered with a counter question, trying to look nonchalantly.

“Oh, just because this must be all new for you. I never sleep well the first night in an unfamiliar bed and place,” Sebastian drawled, focusing thoroughly on his task of rubbing over the already shining silver of the spoon with his cloth as if he needed to win a contest.

“Yes, it's the same for me, but my quarters and my bed are most comfortable. Lord Lindelborn truly cares for his employees,” Marco said, sipping from his coffee.

“Lord Robert indeed cares for us,” Mathilda the cook gave back, and Marco turned his head to greet her. He had been introduced to the other servants after his arrival the previous day, and they all had welcomed him friendly. Mathilda must just have entered the kitchen, and Marco stood up and nodded politely in her direction.

“Good morning, Mathilda, your eggs are a dream, the most delicious eggs I've ever tasted.”

Mathilda snorted but blushed with delight. She was a small and slim woman and didn't look like a cook at all, but it was obvious that she had everything under control. “You're a charmer, Mr. Reus, but thank you. So if you slept that well, you didn't have an encounter last night, then?” she asked blatantly, and Marco chuckled and sat down again.

“Oh yes, I had indeed a truly remarkable encounter. Ghost Kuno of Castle Lindelborn came himself to welcome me in his home, he was most informative and our encounter truly enlightening,” he told his astonished listeners, Sebastian, Mathilda and Jenny staring at him with big eyes, chewing on their lips in perfect unison as if they had practiced that over a long time.

“I see. Will you inform Lord Robert about your nightly guest?” Sebastian finally asked after exchanging more glances with the two women.

Marco shook his head. “But no, why should I do that? Ghost Kuno must be one of Lord Robert's ancestors, right? Why should I tell the earl about a ghost he surely already knows about? Kuno must be spooking for a rather long time here in the castle, and if the earl considered him a threat for young teachers, he certainly would have informed me about Kuno's existence, wouldn't he?”

His new co-workers eyed him, apparently not sure what to make out of his words until Mathilda finally smiled at him. “You're right, Mr. Reus, Kuno is no threat to you, I'm glad that you took your first encounter with him that well. Your predecessor was pretty annoyed when Kuno rose him from his slumber in the middle of the night, he complained loudly about the disturbance the very next day. Lord Robert was not amused to put it nicely.”

Marco frowned. “But why would he do that? Poor Kuno has no other choice than to spook around in the middle of the night. He is bound to the witching hour, every at least halfway erudite grown-up must know that. My predecessor couldn't have been very clever then. Every proper castle needs its own ghost, I expected no less of this mighty castle.”

His dry statement earned him a pleased chuckle, and there was a warmth in Sebastian's eyes that hadn't been there before when the young butler said: “You're so right, Mr. Reus, everyone wanting to live in a castle should be prepared to encounter a ghost sooner or later. If you're finished, then I will bring you to the young lord, it is time for you to finally meet Lord Oscar.”

 

***

 

Lord Oscar didn't seem to think the same, being not very eager to meet his new teacher, at least not if the defiant expression on his face was any indication. The young boy stood beside his father in the rather dark and musty room that was used as a class room, stiff as a poker and with grimly furrowed brows. He was a pretty boy with thick and curly golden-brown hair and hazel eyes, that much was to see despite the defiance, and Marco was sure that Oscar Lord Lando would grow up to a very handsome young man. At the moment, he looked only like the scared young boy he actually was, desperately trying to appear tough and bored instead of scared that Marco would reveal what he had done the previous night to his sternly looking father.

Marco could see the loneliness and confusion behind the defiance, and his heart ached for his young charge, but the blond teacher knew that he'd better not show it.

“Good morning Lord Lindelborn, good morning Lord Oscar,” was all he said, bowing briefly before his new employer.

“Good morning, Mr. Reus. I hope you slept well,” the Earl of Lindelborn repeated Sebastian's words from earlier, and Marco could see Oscar tensing up from the corner of his eye. “Oh yes, I did, thank you, my lord.” Marco was surprised when Lord Robert offered him his hand again, but he took it for a firm handshake. His palm and his fingers tingled where the earl had touched him, and Marco blinked with confusion.

A brief emotion flickered over the handsome, aristocratic features of the dark-haired earl, and his voice sounded a little bit husky when he turned to his son and said: “Oscar, this is Mr. Reus, your new teacher. I expect you to cooperate this time and behave well! Say good morning to Mr. Reus!”

Oscar ducked his head between his shoulders. “Yes, father,” he mumbled, staring at his polished but uncomfortably looking shoes. “Goodmorningmrreus.”

Marco suppressed a smile and reached out with his hand, offering it to his new pupil after a quick sidelong glance at Oscar's father. He had meant what he had said about treating children with the same respect he wanted to be treated with, and if Lord Lindelborn had a problem with Marco shaking hands with his son, he'd better say it now. But Robert stayed silent, only watched him with his piercing blue eyes, and Marco felt hot and flushed all of a sudden.

Oscar obviously didn't know what to make out of his new teacher's behavior, it was clear to see that he had expected that Marco would complain about his spooking during the night the minute he entered the class room, and that Marco hadn't done that so far was something Oscar couldn't deal with.

“Good morning, Lord Oscar, I am pleased to make your acquaintance, and I am looking forward to our first lesson,” Marco said, waiting patiently until Oscar reluctantly took his hand to shake it. When he said nothing, his father called him to order with a terse “Oscar!” and the boy flinched and hurried to say: “Imlookingforwardtomyfirstlessontoo,” which of course was a blatant and obvious lie.

Marco only smiled. “That's great. It would only be good if you could change into something more comfortable, something you won't ruin in case you'll get a little bit dirty.”

Oscar's head snapped up, and the boy stared at his new teacher with wide eyes. “W-w-what?” he stammered, and Marco threw a challenging glance at Oscar's father who was pressing his lips to a thin line but still said nothing, only considered Marco with narrowed eyes.

“Yes, other clothes, Oscar. Our first lesson will be about geology, and I prefer to include some practicing into my lessons. I want to explain the emergence of the red sandstone to you, and what would be better than to leave the castle and do that right where the sandstone has formed all those impressive rocks only a few meters away?”

Oscar opened and closed his mouth, but he couldn't hide the spark of interest that had started to glow in his eyes, and he turned his head and looked up at his father. “Am I allowed to change, father?” he asked, his voice trembling a little bit by the thought of leaving his teacher alone with his father.

Lord Robert hesitated but then, nodded his head. “Yes, of course, Oscar.” Oscar shot Marco another mistrustful look before starting off towards the exit of the room, looking over his shoulder one last time before disappearing around the corner. The class room was housed in the tower where Marco's quarters were, while Oscar's rooms must be housed in the large palas of the old castle where his father had his rooms, at least Marco suspected that this was the case.

Silence fell over the room with the four small tables for the pupils and the larger one for the teacher, both men measuring each other with hard glances.

“Do you really think it a clever decision to start with an outdoor lesson, Mr. Reus?” Lord Robert eventually asked, and Marco looked back at him without blinking. “Yes, I think so, my lord. The last three teachers tried it the usual way, and it didn't work. Outdoor lessons are much less boring than those only recited from an old book and you were the one telling me that I'd better find a way to keep Lord Oscar interested in what I want to teach him.”

“Hmm, I see. Fair enough, we will try it your way. I don't need to tell you that you'll have to be careful and that you are not allowed to let Oscar out of sight for even one second, do I? And don't make the mistake of thinking that this will be an easy thing to do,” Robert said, rubbing his forehead, and Marco felt the sudden and unexpected urge to reach out and pat the older man's shoulder to comfort him. This was of course nowhere near appropriate, and Marco entangled his fingers behind his back instead to keep himself from giving in to that urge.

“Yes, I know that, my lord. I won't underestimate Lord Oscar's ingenuity.”

The return of the boy interrupted them, and Robert only nodded his head and stalked off without gifting his son with a friendly look. He had changed into boots, brown breeches and a jacket of the same color, both obviously worn and much more comfortable than the stiff and tight black jacket and the gray trousers he had worn before. Marco watched Oscar staring after his father with a wistful and hurt expression in his eyes before he turned to his new teacher and said in a flat voice: “I am ready to go, Mr. Reus.”

Marco pursed his lips. “No, you are not, Lord Oscar. Where is your bag with your pencil and your notepad?”

Oscar frowned. “But I thought that this was just an excuse for you to leave the castle and have a beer in the pub at the base of the mountain.”

Marco kept his face impassive but inside, he was fuming with rage. “Is that what your last teacher has done when he was supposed to teach you, Lord Oscar?” he asked calmly, and Oscar bit his lip and dropped his gaze. “No, but the first one my father chose for me. That was in Bad Bergzabern. He always locked me in the class room and went to the pub for two hours, forcing me to copy twenty pages of Tacitus' books in calligraphy with only one candle as a light,” he said, and Marco almost regretted that he couldn't have a word with Oscar's tormentor and lock him in a small room for a couple of hours as well, preferably a room without a window or any other light. This castle surely had a proper dungeon?

“I see. I'm not interested in pubs and beer, Lord Oscar, but I am very interested in starting our first lesson, so would you please put your notepad and your pencil in your bag and come with me?” Marco took his own bag and made a small note to himself to ask Mathilda for a packed lunch the next time.

Oscar slowly followed his example, apparently still not convinced that Marco had spoken the truth. The young teacher guided him outside, determined more than ever to win the boy's trust and prove to him that not all teachers were like the ones he had had the displeasure to meet so far.

It would be a rather hard task but more than worth the effort in the end, that much Marco knew for sure.


	3. The First Week

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco sits in the mass the Sunday after his first week in Castle Lindelborn and ponders about what has happened during that week while listening to the priest's sermon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My dear readers, if you want to get an impression about the Pfälzer Wald, you can take a look at chapter 1 of my work 'The Other Race', there is a map where you can see also the location of Castle Lindelborn and Bad Bergzabern.
> 
> Thank you for your wonderful feedback to the first two chapters, your support is what keeps me writing, each kudo and comment makes me totally happy. <33

The first week went by quickly, and Marco was surprised when he realized that already seven days had passed. It was Sunday, and Lord Lindelborn had asked Marco to join them during the mass in Vorderweidenthal. Marco hadn't been such a regular congregant in his youth, his family duties and his studies had kept him from doing that, but he had enjoyed attending the mass together with his former employers and their sons, and he had agreed to Lord Lindelborn's request with a smile on his face and his heart suddenly thumping in his throat.

Now, he sat in the third row behind some decent matrons next to Lord Oscar, trying to focus on the priest's ardent sermon about his seemingly favorite topic, which was a rather difficult undertaking because the middle-aged priest wasn't such a skilled orator, and his sermon was truly boring and annoying. Unfortunately, the slim man with the haggard face of a raptor didn't share Marco's opinion but was obviously convinced that his sermon was sent straight from heaven, and he enjoyed listening to his own high-pitched voice far too much to end his incomprehensible rambling any time soon.

Marco could only admire Oscar's and Lord Robert's stamina, because both, father and son, sat on the hard bench with straight backs and impassive faces, and the blond felt pity with the poor boy who must be far to familiar with this kind of straining Sunday past time, letting the priest's loud and aggressive words hail down on him motionless and with vacant eyes.

The young teacher resisted the urge to shift his weight one more time and let his thoughts wander back to the events of his first week in Castle Lindelborn instead. To his luck, the big hats the matrons wore despite the heat of midsummer hid his face from the priest, so he didn't need to be too careful with keeping the mask of feigned interest firmly in place. Marco suppressed a sigh and let his thoughts drift, the memories of the last week still vivid and clear in his mind.

 

***

 

_The first lesson had gone by surprisingly well, and Marco found his first impression to be proved right, Oscar was an intelligent and sensitive boy, who only needed the right one to teach him to become an attentive and eager student. Marco had explained the emergence of the red sandstone to Oscar, letting him paint some of the rocks Castle Lindelborn was built upon, and Oscar had followed his explanations with great interest._

_They had even carved some paintings into the stone with the knife Marco always kept in his pocket because the young teacher had wanted to show him why his ancestors had been able to carve parts of the castle into the rocks themselves rather easily._

_Marco came from the large city of Dortmund, and he was still fascinated by the many castles of the Pfälzer Wald, especially those that had been carved right into the red rocks and didn't look like as if they were man-made at all at first sight but were proper castles nonetheless. Both of them had been surprised when the sun had announced noon and they had had to go back to the castle._

_Marco didn't make the mistake of thinking that he had already won the boy's heart, and the defiant and annoyed expression on Lord Oscar's face when he heard which homework he had to do was a clear sign that he hadn't given up his plan to let 'ghost Kuno' scare him away._

_“You will write an essay about our morning, Oscar, I expect you to do that during your studying hour tonight.”_

_Oscar made a pout. “Yes, Mr. Reus,” he mumbled reluctantly, and Marco watched him leave the classroom with a hidden smile before making his way to the kitchen to have lunch together with the other servants._

_As expected, Oscar had another 'surprise' for him when he entered his dark chamber later that evening. When Marco pulled the covers away to change into his pajama, he found a small salamander on his pillow. The poor creature had fallen into a rigidity because Marco had left the window open and the nights were still rather chilly on top of the mountains of the Pfälzer Wald even during the summer months._

_Marco stared at the black and orange salamander and shook his head with a chuckle. “Poor thing, you weren't fast enough to slip through 'Kuno's' fingers, were you? I'll be back right away, don't worry.”_

_Marco went out to search for Sebastian, chuckling quietly to himself._

_Sebastian sat in the kitchen, enjoying a cup of warm milk with honey together with Mathilda before eventually calling it a night._

_“Mr. Reus, what can I do for you?” he asked friendlily when Marco emerged on the threshold. The blond teacher greeted his new friends with a smile. “Good evening, Mathilda, good evening, Sebastian. I'm sorry for disturbing you, but I need a small box and some hay. A box with a lid I can perforate to be precise.”_

_“This won't be a problem, but for what do you need such a box if I'm allowed to ask?” Sebastian retorted, rising to his feet._

_“I had another visit from 'ghost Kuno', and he left a present for me.”_

_“A present?” Mathilda asked with a frown, and Marco nodded grimly. “Yes, a present, a truly nice one, but a very inappropriate nevertheless. The present happens to be a poor salamander sitting on my pillow and which wasn't fast enough to escape its captor. I don't mind Oscar trying to play pranks on me until I have earned his trust, but there is no way that I will let him use poor and helpless little animals for that. The salamander will sleep in the box tonight where it will be safe and sound and tomorrow, Lord Oscar will get a lesson in biology before setting the salamander free again.”_

_Sebastian and Mathilda eyed him with respect. “You're right, Mr. Reus, Oscar really shouldn't use animals for his pranks. He didn't mean anything bad though, he isn't the boy to torture animals for his own pleasure.”_

_Marco nodded. “I know, Mathilda. I didn't think that he would do that. But he needs to learn his lesson that he has to respect every living being, no matter whether it is human, an animal or a plant.”_

_“Lord Oscar is lucky to have you as his teacher, Mr. Reus,” Mathilda stated after a couple of seconds, her voice warm and gentle. She went to the larder at the other side of the kitchen, coming back with a small wooden box with a lid. “This box should do nicely as a temporary home for your salamander,” she said, and Marco took it with a smile. “It is perfect, Mathilda, thank you. You won't mind me perforating the lid, will you?”_

_The small woman shook her head. “Of course not, just make sure that our small guest will be as comfortable as possible. Nuri will provide you with the hay. Sebastian, would you be so kind and show Mr. Reus the way to the stables?”_

_The butler was more than willing to help, and Nuri, the young equerry, chuckled when he heard about what 'ghost Kuno' had done and provided Marco with enough hay to make a comfortable bed for Marco's unexpected lodger. Marco went back to his quarters and covered his hand with a glove before carefully putting the stiff salamander into the box and closing the lid, hoping that the little creature wouldn't die because of the truly scary things that had happened to it. The salamander was still alive the next morning, and Marco took the box to teach Oscar another lesson about the appropriate behavior._

_“Good morning, Lord Oscar! Just look what I have found in my chamber yesterday. This poor animal must have taken the wrong way. I thought this a good opportunity for a biology lesson including some more practice!” Oscar made big eyes the next morning when Marco entered the classroom with these words, the box and its inhabitant safely stuffed under his armpit._

_The young lord followed Marco's cheerful and yet deadly serious lesson about salamanders and other amphibians with rapt devotion and red ears, and it was clear to see that he had a hard time digesting why Marco wasn't angry and punished him with the stick for his prank. Needless to say that Oscar released the small creature from its prison with a bad conscience written all over his face after the lesson, watching it seeking shelter under a large stone together with Marco and obvious relief that the small animal was still alive and had survived its adventure unharmed._

_The young teacher was pretty sure that Oscar would never use an animal for his pranks again, and he could see the gratitude hidden behind the defiance in the hazel eyes that Marco hadn't told Lord Robert what his son had done._

_Oscar's will to cooperate was over soon enough, though, because he folded his arms across his chest and lifted his chin up with sparkling eyes when Marco asked him about the essay he had been supposed to write._

_“I don't have it.”_

_“Hmm, I see. That's a pity, because you'll have to do it this afternoon then. I'll have to extend your studying hour because you will also have to write an essay about your biology lesson today.” Marco felt sorry for the boy, but Oscar needed strictness and reliability as much as he needed kindness and understanding, and he had to learn that Marco was a man of his word right from the start. It wouldn't do him any good if he thought himself safe and mistook Marco's understanding for weakness._

_“But my father promised me that I could go riding this afternoon!” Oscar cried out, and Marco's heart clenched when he saw the despair in the hazel eyes. “This will have to wait until tomorrow, Oscar. You didn't do your homework, and you will do it this afternoon as long as the memory is still fresh. You should think about the consequences of your behavior more carefully the next time,” he said, keeping his voice calm and strict only with effort. Everything inside him screamed to take Oscar in his arms and promise him that everything would be fine again, but he was only his teacher and Oscar didn't trust him so far._

_After a moment that stretched to a little eternity, the young lord nodded silently but with something akin to hate glowing in his eyes. Marco sent him off for lunch with a heavy heart, and he was more relieved than angry when he found the huge amount of leaves and red sand waiting for him in his bed later that day._

_At least, Oscar had learned his lesson and not used a poor animal for his next prank again._

_Sebastian sat in the kitchen again, this time together with Mathilda, Jenny and Helena, the two maids._

_“Ah, Mr. Reus, what did you find in your bed this time? I hope it wasn't another animal?” the butler greeted him with a smile, and Marco slumped down on the last chair with a heartfelt sigh.”No, he learned at least that,” he started, pouring out his heart to his inclined audience._

_Sebastian, Mathilda, Helena and Jenny listened to his narration of the day with attentive ears and understanding and pity for both, Oscar and Marco, in their eyes. Sebastian shook his head when Marco had finished his story. “Lord Oscar is truly lucky that you became his teacher, I wished he would see it and not try to scare you away. He won't find any other teacher being as kind and patient as you are.”_

_Helena sighed. “It will take some time, Sebastian. You know what he went through over the last months. Jenny and I will help you with your bed, Mr. Reus. You did nothing wrong, Lord Oscar has to learn that he can't neglect his homework without consequences. Every other teacher would have reported his behavior to his father straight away.”_

_“This wouldn't help matters. I won't win Lord Oscar's trust if I'll run to his father every time he acts defiantly,” Marco said, rubbing his forehead. “But I don't want to keep you up because of my problems. I only came to ask you for fresh sheets.”_

_Jenny and Helena shook their heads with grim faces. “Oh no, Mr. Reus, this is our task. We will help you and make your bed for you, and Lord Oscar seems to be in the need of another lesson! I think I know a way to do that and bring the message home,” Helena stated cheerfully, waving at the younger maid to follow her. Marco was deeply grateful that he had at least won the trust of Lord Robert's staff, and he listened to Helena's plan with a relieved smile and fresh hope that he would win Oscar's trust with the help of Lord Robert's other employees._

_The next day, Marco took Oscar with him for a walk in the wonderful garden of the castle to talk about the different flowers and plants, and he smiled inwardly when he saw the boy's reaction to the sight of Helena and Jenny bending over the large tub placed in the middle of the courtyard and where they scrubbed the dirty sheets with red faces and sweat dripping from their foreheads._

_“Why are they washing sheets? Today isn't the washing day, it's on Saturdays!" Oscar mumbled subdued, shooting Marco a quick sidelong glance. Marco sighed theatrically. “I don't know how it could happen, but when I came back to my quarters yesterday, my bed was filled to the brink with red sand and dead leaves. The wind must have blown the sand and the leaves through the open window. Helena and Jenny were so friendly to offer their help even though they wanted to go to bed, and they told me that they would wash the dirty sheets today. I wanted to do that myself after all, it has been my fault, but they simply wouldn't listen.”_

_Oscar paled and bit his lip. “I see.” He narrowed his eyes in the attempt to ease his own bad conscience. “A true gentleman would have insisted on doing it himself, even more when it was his own fault!” he chided his teacher with a disgusted face._

_Marco nodded. “You're right, Lord Oscar, but I am supposed to teach you during the mornings, and the sheets needed to be washed as early as possible so they can dry over the day. I already talked to your father and asked him to grant Helena and Jenny an extra day off. I will relinquish my own days off over the next two weeks for their sake and see to their duties on that days.”_

_Oscar swallowed. “And my father agreed to that?”_

_Marco nodded. “Yes, he did. We'll have to spare our outdoor lessons for another day because of that then, but I don't think that this will be a problem. I can teach you maths while doing the dusting in the library and in our classroom.”_

_Oscar had been quiet and thoughtful during the entire morning, and Marco could see that the boy expected him to punish him in any way, but Marco only went on with his lessons and told him which homework he had to do when they were finished with the classes._

_The next three days, Oscar was punctual and always handed his neatly done essays to Marco without being ordered to, and Marco didn't find any other surprises in his quarters when he came back late in the evenings. The boy even accepted the rather dry and boring maths lessons while Marco did the dusting without objections, and he started to open up to Marco and tell him about his former teachers now and then._

_Marco always needed all of his self-control to not show his anger when he listened to what his predecessors had done to the young lord, letting him copy Tacitus in calligraphy for hours or using the stick when there had been some minor mistakes or errors in Oscar's homework._

_The young teacher was aware that it was only a cautious truce and not a real peace treaty, but it was more than he had expected after a couple of days, and Oscar's visible joy and relief when he had learned that his teacher would attend the mass with them had warmed his heart. It was still a long and winding road, but a start had been made, and Marco was confident that the boy would finally learn to trust him._

 

***

 

Marco's thoughts shifted back to the sermon when the priest released his congregation from their misery with a loud “Amen!”, grateful that the preaching about fallen angles and bad sinners had finally come to an end.

The rest of the mass was much more to his liking, and Marco lost himself in the familiar prayers and rituals, drawing strength out of them to steel himself for the next obstacles and hardships that would definitely come along his way. He had survived the first week without any serious incident and without another nightly visit from 'ghost Kuno', but he suspected that Oscar hadn't given up his attempts to scare him away, and his slumber was light and fitful every night, his worries and restless thoughts waking him up almost every hour.

The young teacher followed Lord Robert and Oscar out of the church and into the carriage that would bring them back to Castle Lindelborn, furtively watching the interaction between father and son. Something was seriously off between them, and Marco was determined to find out what had let them drift apart, because Lord Robert's problems with Oscar were most likely the reason for Oscar's defiance and his demeanor. The boy craved for his father's love and approval that desperately that it formed a huge lump in Marco's throat, and Lord Robert probably suffered as much as his son, even though his stern face gave nothing away of his true feelings and thoughts.

The way back to Castle Lindelborn was short and filled with heavy silence, and Marco, who had stared out of the window with unseeing eyes, flinched startled when Lord Lindelborn suddenly spoke up.

“I would like you to join me for dinner tonight, Mr. Reus. I would like to know how your first week in Castle Lindelborn has been and how your lessons are going.”

Marco swallowed and smiled hesitantly at the young aristocrat who made his heart beat faster every single time he came close to him.

“Of course, my lord, it will be my greatest honor and pleasure.”


	4. An Interesting Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lord Robert invited Marco to have dinner with him to tell him more about Oscar's lesson, and the evening reveals some painful truths...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter of this story so far, and you're finally getting more interaction between Marco and Robert. It might not be what you craved for, but where would be the fun if everything would go just smoothly? ;-)
> 
> Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback, please keep it up, your support is crucial for me to go with my writing and every kudo and comment really means a lot to me!! <33

Robert Lando, Earl of Lindelborn dragged the razor as carefully over the left side of his face as he had dragged it over the right side, the sharp blade gliding over his damp skin, following the soft curve of his cheek and the strong set of his chin and jawline.

The dark-haired aristocrat knew that he was more or less the only one among his caste who preferred to shave himself instead of letting his valet do it for him, but this knowledge didn't keep him from breaking this unspoken rule that no nobleman should lower himself down like that.

Robert actually didn't even have a valet, his butler Sebastian helped him with the things that needed a helping hand now and then, like putting the finishing touches on the creases of his dress shirt or cutting his hair for example. His unwillingness to employ more servants than necessary didn't come from the lack of money, Robert was wealthy enough to have an army of servants if he had wanted that, but from his wish to keep his privacy at all costs.

The few carefully selected servants he had didn't gossip around and didn't stick their noses into things that were none of their business, their loyalty towards him and his son being out of the question, and Robert was fine with bathing and shaving without anyone watching him with eagle eyes while he was naked or his face covered with foam.

The scratching noises of the razor were the only sounds audible in the earl's bedchamber, and Robert was thankful for the peace and the quiet as he tried to prepare himself for his dinner with the blond teacher.

Marco Reus was for sure not only the youngest teacher he had ever met, but also the most exceptional teacher he had ever met as well, and the dark-haired earl found himself dreading their next encounter as much as he anticipated it.

Robert had gotten used to every teacher he had employed after taking Oscar from the Berwartstein coming to him every day to complain about his son's cheeky and inappropriate behavior, and he didn't know whether he should be relieved that Marco Reus hadn't come to him one single time so far or if he should rather be worried about it.

The few times they had seen each other the blond had smiled at him and behaved as if everything was fine, and he had neither complained about the pranks Oscar normally played on his teachers, nor asked his employer to punish the boy for them.

On the contrary, Marco Reus had even taken the blame for the dirty sheets by insisting on that being only his own fault by leaving the window open, relinquishing his days off for Helena's and Jenny's sake and doing their jobs with a stoic mask on his face and a cheerful melody on his lips.

No other teacher Robert knew would have done that, and he had to admit that the young teacher fascinated him like no one else had ever fascinated him. He still remembered the afternoon Oscar had come into his office with tears in his eyes and a pout on his lips, asking his father to go to Mr. Reus and tell him off for the cruel and unbearable punishment his new teacher had inflicted on him.

Robert had sat behind his desk, his heart starting to beat faster at the thought that he might have been that wrong about Mr. Reus. Robert had never beaten his son as a punishment, and he had given the strictest order to Oscar's former teachers to not use the stick or the whip on his offspring. He somehow hadn't thought it necessary to give Marco Reus the same order, something he had regretted deeply in that moment, but he really hadn't expected that the handsome blond would ever do something like that, Mr. Reus' words about respect and kindness towards children lulling him into false security.

“What kind of punishment, Oscar?” His voice hadn't given his worries away, but his jaw had hurt from the way he had gritted his teeth.

“Mr. Reus forbade me to go on riding today!” Oscar had whined, and Robert had found himself frowning with annoyance. Mr. Reus wasn't allowed to interfere with Robert's upbringing, but he had wanted to hear the whole story before putting the young teacher in his place.

“I see. And why did he do that?”

Oscar had bitten his lip and lowered his gaze down. “He wanted me to write an essay about our geology lesson yesterday. I didn't have it, and he said that I'll have to do it this afternoon instead, together with the essay about our biology lesson from this morning. But you promised me that I could go riding today! The weather is fine, and I can write this stupid essay when it is raining, can't I?” His son had looked at him with pleading eyes and Robert's heart had ached for him, but Oscar had to learn that he couldn't neglect his lessons, and Mr. Reus had actually been right with what he had done, the relief about the young teacher not having beaten his son making his knees buckle.

“And why didn't you write this essay yesterday, Oscar?” the dark-haired earl had only asked his son. His former teachers had always come to him and asked Robert to punish the boy for not having done his homework, but Robert actually liked Marco's way much better.

“I wasn't in the mood to do that. I wanted to play with my new tin soldiers.” Oscar had had the decency to blush at his lame excuse.

“I see. I fear that you'll have to do it this afternoon then, Oscar. The weather won't change any time soon, and your memory won't last long enough to write the essay in a couple of days without missing the important things of your lesson. You will do it as long as the memories are still fresh enough which means that you will have to do it this afternoon.”

“But father...you promised me! Mr. Reus is only a stupid teacher, he has no right to do that!”

“Mr. Reus was right with what he did, you can't neglect your homework just as it pleases you, I would have told you the same, Oscar. We won't discuss this any further, and I expect you to write your essays and not go against Mr. Reus like that in the future again, understood?”

“Understood, father.” Oscar had left him and the very next day, Mr. Reus had come to him and taken over responsibility for Helena and Jenny having to wash his dirty sheets without blinking.

Robert sighed and put the razor aside after cleaning it thoroughly, drying his face and removing the last remnants of the foam with the warmed towel he had slung around his neck before starting to shave, carefully checking his face for some cuts. When he didn't fine any, he turned away from his clean-shaven reflection to dress, trying to ignore his stupid heart that beat faster at the thought of spending the evening with the young and handsome teacher.

Robert Lando, Earl of Lindelborn knew his responsibilities and his place in the world, and he had married like it had been expected from him. He had been far too young – both of them had been far too young - but circumstances had forced him and his deceased wife to marry before they had been able to find their place in the world. The dark-haired nobleman had suppressed his hidden desires and needs for his family's sake and to not damage their reputation, but it had become harder and more and more difficult over the years, and Marco's mere presence in his house tore wounds open Robert had thought to be healed just to find out that they had only been covered with a thin layer of scab.

The young widower flinched at the sigh escaping his lips and started to dress with surprisingly awkward movements, focusing on his task and the familiar rituals to calm his troubled mind and find his inner balance again.

Marco Reus might be a handsome and attractive young man, but he was his son's teacher, and Robert's better not forget that again.

 

***

 

Robert's inner resolve threatened to crumble when Marco entered the dining room after Sebastian's announcement, the sight of the handsome blond waking his inner demons up again. The young teacher wore perfectly fitting dark-gray trousers and a tail coat of the same color over a white dress shirt and a waistcoat in a slightly lighter gray. The white bow tie was neatly in place, and the shimmering blond strands arranged to a perfect quiff.

Marco was clean-shaven with not one single tiny cut spoiling his looks, and Robert felt hot in his own black tail coat all of a sudden. He had waited for the teacher leaned against the brick-built fireplace and he was grateful for the support the polished red bricks offered him because his knees felt like jelly by the tempting view in front of his eyes.

“Good evening, my lord.” Marco's voice broke in on his rapturous staring, and Robert blinked and cleared his throat. “Good evening, Mr. Reus. What would you like to have as an appetizer?” he asked, hoping that his dinner guest wouldn't notice the slight huskiness in his voice as he beckoned him to join him before the fire place.

Marco crossed the room with a cautious smile and Robert relaxed a little bit when he saw that the younger man seemed to be as nervous as he himself felt. “Sherry, please, my lord.”

Robert nodded at his butler to serve both of them with sherry and Sebastian brought the ordered drinks before withdrawing with a respectful bow. Robert knew that his longtime servant and confident would serve them as unobtrusively as only possible to give his aristocratic employer the privacy he wished for his talk with Marco about Oscar's doing.

“Cheers, Mr. Reus.”

Marco lifted his own glass with a smile. “Cheers my lord.”

Both men sipped from their appetizer, and Robert savored the warmth and the slight burn as the alcohol rushed down his throat, loosening the tight knot that had formed there when the other man had entered the room.

“I hope that you have already settled in here in Castle Lindelborn at least a little bit, Mr. Reus,” he then opened up their conversation, and Marco smiled at him and nodded his head. “Yes, thank you, my lord. Castle Lindelborn is a wonderful place to live in, the entire region of the Pfälzer Wald is breathtaking. I didn't know about the beauty of this area before I came here, and I am still stunned.”

“I am glad to hear that. I thought that the Pfälzer Wald might perhaps be too rural for your liking. You wouldn't be the first citizen leaving this place to live in a bigger town again. I know Dortmund and the Ruhrgebiet, it is much more urban, and only few people I've met actually liked to live in a place where you need more than two hours to reach the next town worthy to be called a real city.”

Marco absentmindedly played with the glass he held in his fingers. “I love my hometown, that's true. But I always wanted to see more of the world and the wonders of our homeland. The people living here are very friendly, and I already feel at home.”

Robert sipped from his own liquid to hide his reaction to the young teacher's words, hoping that Marco feeling at home in Castle Lindelborn had not only something to do with the breathtakingly beautiful landscape.

“I'm pleased to hear that, Mr. Reus.”

The quiet knock on the door interrupted him, and Robert turned his head to watch his butler emerging in the door frame. “Dinner can be served, my lord.”

“Very well, Sebastian, thank you. I hope you like venison, Mr. Reus.”

“I do, my lord.” Marco Reus smiled politely at him as he followed him to the table, his male scent filling Robert's nose. The blond obviously preferred herbal soap like Robert did instead of using the rather sweet Eau de Cologne Robert had smelled on other men far too often, and the mixture of the soap together with Marco's sun-kissed skin and the fresh air of spending hours outside the castle was intoxicating. Robert felt his mouth water, and the hunger pooling deep in his abdomen had nothing to do with the hunger for food.

He sat down at the table glad that he could hide his inappropriate reaction to Marco's closeness this way, nodding at Sebastian to serve them when the blond had taken his own seat. This evening would become a torture, that much he knew for sure, but he would do his best to stay decent and keep up appearances no matter how desirable and attractive the teacher of his son might be.

Robert had learned to wear a mask and hide his true feelings behind it at a very young age, and he would keep his mask in place, no matter how hard it would be.

 

***

 

“This was truly delicious, my lord, thank you.” Marco patted his lips with the linen napkin, feeling pleasantly full and sated.

The dark-haired earl had made polite conversation with him during their dinner, and Marco knew what was about to come now that the official part was over.

“We can help ourselves with the drinks, Sebastian,” his employer said just like Marco had expected it, and the blond rose to his feet and followed Robert to the armchairs arranged before the fire place, grateful that the earl had chosen one of the lighter wines instead of a heavy red one.

Marco waited until Lord Lando had seated himself in one of the chairs before taking the one opposite to him, leaning back against the comfortable backrest.

“My son came to me the afternoon on your second day to complain about his cruel punishment, Mr. Reus,” Robert Earl of Lindelborn shot at him out of the blue, and Marco was glad that he had already awaited something like this to be brought up and therefore didn't flinch too obviously.

“Yes, my lord, I thought that he would do that.”

The earl directed his blue eyes at him, and Marco felt a strange flutter in his stomach. “You should have talked to me beforehand, Mr. Reus.”

Marco returned the scrutinizing observation with a similar stern glance. “I probably should have, my lord. But you told me to teach your son, and him doing his homework to recall the lessons in his memory is an important part of that. It was better for Oscar to learn that right from the start. Children need a strict hand and reliability. You apparently agreed to my decision, because Oscar didn't go for a ride but wrote his essays on that afternoon.”

“Yes, I did, and yes, I agree with you when it comes to the reliability. But what do you mean with 'strict hand', Mr. Reus? I know that beating children for insolence is common practice, but I won't allow anything like that to happen under my roof.”

Marco was surprised about the relief he felt at that statement, just as if a heavy weight was taken from his shoulders. “No, my lord, I actually didn't mean that, and you won't find a whip or a stick in one of my classrooms. Teaching children with a 'strict hand' means for me to show them respect but yet insist of them fulfilling their duties and showing the same respect towards other people. I didn't like it that I had to tell Oscar that he couldn't go riding, I actually loathed that I had to do it, but Oscar won't learn to respect me if I just gave in and told him that he could do his homework just when he would be in the right mood for that. You will surely agree with me that he would hardly ever do his homework then.”

The earl gifted him with one of his rare smiles, and Marco's heart started to race. “You are most certainly right with that, Mr. Reus. So how did you punish him for the pranks he has surely played on you within the first days?” his employer then asked, and Marco relaxed and sipped from his wine.

“I didn't punish him for his pranks, my lord, I only showed him the consequences of his behavior.”

Robert raised his left eyebrow. “And how did you do that? I have to admit that I am intrigued now.”

Marco drew in a deep breath and started to retell the events of his first week in Castle Lindelborn, but he instinctively left his encounter with 'ghost Kuno' out of his narration. He didn't know whether or not Robert knew about his son 'spooking' around in the middle of the night, and he didn't want to reveal the boy's secret to his father without having talked to Oscar about Kuno beforehand.

“Hmm. You really seem to know how to handle my son, Mr. Reus,” the dark-haired earl mused when Marco had finished his story, dabbing with his fingers against his glass.

“I hope so, my lord. I do my very best to win his trust. Did you know that one of his former teachers locked him in the class room with only one candle, visiting a pub when he was supposed to teach him?” Marco hadn't meant to sound accusing, after all it was not about him to tell his employer who he could employ and who he'd better not employ, but Oscar's lost expression when he had told him that story still haunted the young teacher.

Lord Robert paled, his tanned skin turning grayish in the light of the candles illuminating the splendid dining room. “No, I didn't.” he ground out after some seconds of awkward silence. “None of your predecessors stayed longer than a couple of weeks, and they all gave me enough proof of Oscar's unruly and insolent demeanor towards them.”

“I see.” Marco knew that he was walking on very thin ice, but he couldn't hold himself back. Oscar was only a small boy, and Marco would have done the same as he had done being treated like his former teachers had treated him.

“Did you ask Oscar why he behaved the way he did?”

The aristocrat frowned, annoyance showing on his handsome features. “Yes, I did. He tried to defend himself and justify his actions, but it was clear that he was guilty of what they had accused him of to be, so I had to punish him.”

Marco had balled his fists without even realizing it. “And how did you punish him?” he demanded, well aware that he was overstepping a line.

“I didn't beat him, Mr. Reus. I would never beat any child or woman, let alone my own son, and I won't allow any other person to beat my son. But he wasn't allowed to go on riding and he had to stay in his rooms for a couple of days.”

No wonder that Oscar had taken revenge on Marco when he had told him that he had to write the essay instead of going for a ride. Marco couldn't blame him for that. It had been the right thing to do but still...

“And the thought that Oscar might have his reasons for his behavior never crossed your mind? That his actions might be a result of how his teachers treated him?”

Robert's jaw worked, and he looked exhausted and confused. “Yes, it did. That's one of the reasons why I employed you even though you are rather young and – hmm – exceptional, Mr. Reus.” It must have cost the young earl a lot to admit that, Marco could see it in his eyes. “But I had to punish him for what he did nevertheless. Plus, Oscar didn't tell me that one of his teachers locked him in the classroom, he only complained about his homework.” He shot Marco a reproachful look. “You were the one insisting on the importance of Oscar doing his homework.”

Marco nodded grimly. The relaxed atmosphere in the room had changed completely, both men eyeing each other like opponents getting ready for a duel. “Yes, indeed, my lord. But I don't expect Oscar to copy twenty pages of Tacitus' books in calligraphy with only one candle as a light. And you might have been not clear enough about no one being allowed to use the stick or the whip on your son, my lord, because at least one of them beat Oscar when he wasn't satisfied with the result of the copies.”

The Earl of Lindelborn stared at him, his long, elegant fingers clenching around the stem of his glass. “I didn't know that. Oscar didn't tell me.”

Marco snorted. “Yes, that's obvious, my lord. If you would spend more time with your son, really trying to get to know him better, than you would have realized much sooner what the men supposed to teach him and guide him actually did to Oscar! You would have known that they tortured him and beat him instead of believing that Oscar lied to you to weasel himself out of the situation and put the blame on somebody else. Your son has actually a very strongly built sense of honor, but he has hardly had any chance to prove himself so far.  
I live here for a whole week by now, and I've never seen you playing with Oscar or go for a walk or a ride with him! He craves for your approval, for your love, can't you see that? You are his father, the only one left for him, but you treat him like a stranger. Oscar is a wonderful boy, he is intelligent and clever, and he is sensitive and eager to learn and please you! It is such a pleasure to spend time with him and listen to him, but you never gave him any chance! He needs your love and your understanding, not your punishment!”

Marco's words hang in the air, and the two men stared at each other, none of them speaking. The blond teacher swallowed when realization of what he had done slowly sank in.

He had insulted his employer in the worst way possible, and Robert Lando, Earl of Lindelborn wasn't the man to let himself be insulted like this in his own house oh no. He would tell Marco that he was fired now, and Marco was the only one to be blamed for that. He had wanted to help Oscar but instead of doing that, he had let his feelings rule his actions, and Oscar would be the one losing everything in the end now, because his next teacher would surely be like Marco's predecessors.

Marco stared at the earl in shock about what he had done, and when the dark-haired aristocrat opened his mouth to speak, Marco straightened his shoulders and readied himself for what was about to come now as safe as the Bank of England.


	5. Troubled Minds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco and Robert had dinner together, and Marco rebuked his employer because he thinks that Robert doesn't treat his son right. Will the dark-haired earl fire him, or will Marco get a second chance?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has taken an interesting path and twist that surprised me myself, I hope you will like it. :-)  
> Thank you so very much for the wonderful feedback to the last chapter, you have no idea how much it means to me. My last two weeks have been awful to put it nicely, and the next ones won't be any better, but your lovely comments and kudos always put a smile on my face. You showing me that you like my stories is my biggest motivation to go on, and I really hope that you will like this chapter as well. Please keep up your support, it is my biggest comfort at the moment. <33

Marco hard hardly slept the night after his dinner with Lord Robert, the young earl's words echoing in his head in an endless loop.

_“We should end this evening and go to bed before we will say something we might regret afterwards, Mr. Reus. I appreciate that you care so much about Oscar, but my relationship with my son is none of your business. You are only supposed to teach him maths, philosophy, natural sciences, French, Latin and English, and I expect you to do that without interfering with my upbringing. Did I make myself clear?”_

_Marco had pressed his lips to a thin line and nodded his head. “Perfectly clear, my lord,” he had ground out, finding himself incapable of apologizing to his employer like he was supposed to do._

_Lord Robert observed him with a stern expression, his face pale in the candlelight. “Very well. I will be away for several days from tomorrow on, I need to see to my business in Hamburg. I wish you a good night, Mr. Reus.”_

_“Good night,my lord.”_

_Marco had struggled out of his armchair and stumbled to his feet, leaving the dining room after a terse bow while he wondered about how he had managed to screw things up like this, and even the relief that the Earl of Lindelborn hadn't fired him right away hadn't really consoled him. He had felt Robert's eyes on his back, the older man watching him leave silently without any other word. Marco had resisted the urge to shoot a quick glance over his shoulder when he had reached the door, the sight of the dark-haired earl sitting stiffly in his armchair burned in his memory without Marco having to refresh it with another look._

The young teacher groaned and buried his face in his hands, but he knew that he wouldn't fall asleep again, and he was grateful that he could finally leave his bed and try to find a way to distract himself from his fear that his days in Castle Lindelborn were already over. His bones felt as if someone had tied heavy weights to them when Marco got out of bed with the first cautious sun rays, splashing some cold water in his face to clear his sleep-deprived mind. He dressed and combed his hair, not bothering much with arranging the soft red-blond strands to the perfect quiff he normally wore. Oscar didn't care about his appearance anyway, and his father wasn't there to comment on his disheveled state.

The thought of the handsome aristocrat with the deep blue eyes formed a lump in Marco's throat, and he balled his fists as he made his way to the kitchen for an early breakfast. Mathilda was already up when he entered it, and the young man was grateful that neither Sebastian nor one of the other servants were there. He truly liked Helena and Jenny, but he wouldn't stand their worried glances today, at least not that early in the morning.

“Good morning, Mr. Reus, you're truly an early bird!” Mathilda greeted him cheerfully, but her gaze changed to concern when she saw his face, a small frown creasing her smooth forehead.

“What happened, my dear? You are white like snow and you look as if you had seen a ghost – a real ghost, not our lovely puck Kuno.” The small woman went over to the table to put a mug with steaming coffee before Marco who had sat down on his usual chair with slumped shoulders.

Marco smiled weakly at her, taking the mug with both hands to warm his icy fingers. “Thank you, Mathilda. I wished I had seen a real ghost. Everything would be better than what really happened,” he whined. Marco normally wasn't the kind of man doing that, whining over everything and nothing, but Mathilda's friendly and motherly behavior made him crave to bear his heart to her.

Mathilda sat down beside him with her own mug, regarding him attentively. She smiled encouragingly at him, taking Marco's right hand to rub it between her own warm ones. “Whatever it is troubling you that much, my dear, you will feel better after sharing your worries with someone else, so please don't hesitate to ease your burden a little bit, my shoulders are stronger than they seem to be.”

Marco didn't need to be told that twice, the words tumbling from his lips the minute she had closed her mouth to let him speak. “I am sure that Lord Lando will fire me, Mathilda! How could I be so impudent and tell him how he should treat his son? I am sure that he will tell me that I'd better look for another job after his return. Poor Oscar will get another teacher then, a teacher who won't be patient and kind but treat him like my predecessors have done! And it will be only my own fault! How could I let him down like this?” He dwelt in self-accusations after finishing his narration of the previous evening, his amber-green eyes begging Mathilda for understanding.

The cook shook her head with a sigh, but her smile nurtured Marco's tiny hope that things might not be as bad as he had feared.

“The lord is a proud man, my dear. Your words probably hit him hard, even more because you're right with what you said to him. But our lord is not the man to just fire you because of your honesty that came only from your deep care for Oscar. He needs to lick his wounds a little bit, and he can do that better in Hamburg than he could do it here in Castle Lindelborn. I wouldn't worry too much, Marco,” Mathilda soothed him, and Marco felt warmth pooling in his belly when he heard her using his birth name for the first time.

“Do you really think so, Mathilda?” he asked with trembling lips, and the cook released his right hand to give his left the same treatment. “Yes, I do. You really care deeply about our sweet Lord Oscar, and you couldn't have proved it better than you actually did yesterday. Lord Robert will realize that himself after some time has passed, so please don't worry. If he had wanted to fire you, he would have done so yesterday. Our dear earl is not the man to fire one of his employees that easily.” She patted Marco's hand and stood up.

“You will drink your coffee before it's getting cold now, my dear, and I will see to you getting a proper breakfast. Our boy needs you fit and focused, and a savory breakfast will help you with that!”

Marco chuckled and leaned back in his seat with a relieved sigh, sipping from the hot brew while he watched Mathilda busying herself with his breakfast, humming a cheerful melody as she did so. Maybe, things weren't as hopeless as he had first thought, and perhaps, Lord Robert would give him a second chance after his return, Marco only needed to keep his mouth shut in the future.

 

***

 

Robert Lando, Earl of Lindelborn stared out of the window of his comfortable carriage, but he didn't really see the landscape passing by, only the memories of the last night that haunted him ever since Marco Reus had left the dining room, his whole posture expressing his anger about Robert's inability to let his son come closer to him.

The young earl was still shocked about Marco's blatant and almost brutal words, not because they had been wrong and a lie, but because they were the plain and simple truth. Robert knew that Marco was right, but it had taken him aback that the young teacher already knew so much about his complicated relationship to his son after only one week.

No other teacher had ever noticed that Robert spent as little time with his son as possible, all of them thinking that this was the appropriate behavior a single father and aristocrat should show towards his offspring. Robert knew that his employees were worried about him fleeing Oscar's presence, but none of them had ever dared to utter their concerns with more than hidden glances or a frown and talk to him this way.

No one except for a very special and very handsome blond teacher. No one except for Marco Reus, a young man coming from a city far away from the Pfälzer Wald, and who obviously understood Oscar better than his own father. Robert clenched his glove-covered hands in his lap as the vivid image of the blond before his mind's eye woke his manhood up, the memory of how those amber-green eyes seemed to look straight into his soul making it stir and strain against the fabric of his drawers.

Robert didn't know what it was drawing him to Marco Reus that much, what it was making him desire the exceptional young man like he had never desired anybody else – even not...

The dark-haired earl bit down on his lip, the sharp pain where his teeth grazed his bottom lip a welcome distraction from the ache in his groin. He knew that he shouldn't desire Marco, after all, he was his employee and surely wouldn't appreciate if Robert dared to approach him in such a way, and he was also a man like Robert and not a sweet young woman and finding him attractive and desiring him therefore should be out of the question.

If only his stupid heart and his body would listen to the voice of reason and show any interest in one of the countless young ladies Robert had met over the last years, each of them hoping to become the next Countess of Lindelborn. If he was lucky, the new countess would perhaps even care about his son, but Robert simply couldn't bring himself to even think of taking another wife, the tragic events that had happened ten years ago still haunting him as much as the events of the previous evening.

The carriage jolted over the bridge that led over the river Rhine, and the young earl focused his attention on his surroundings again because it wouldn't take long until they would reach Mannheim, Robert's first destination on his journey.

The young earl traded with several goods very successfully, and one of his business partners lived in Mannheim. The merchant had invited him to stay in his villa for two or three days, and Robert had agreed to that because Mr. Götze was a long time friend of his family and Robert had turned down the man's offer the last two times he had been in Mannheim. He couldn't do that for a third time without causing serious damage to their friendship and their business relationship, and Robert had actually been more or less looking forward to his stay until last night, the thought of staying away from his son and the blond teacher for longer than only a couple of days disturbing him pretty much. He would have preferred to stay in Castle Lindelborn and watch Oscar and his new teacher carefully, but his presence was needed in Hamburg, and his business trip had been planned weeks before Marco had joined his household.

The carriage came to a halt before a large and impressive villa, and Robert straightened his shoulders, waiting for his carter Sven to open the door.

“We arrived just in time, my lord,” Sven said when he opened the door and swung out the staircase, “Mr. Götze and his family are already waiting for you!”

Robert nodded curtly. “Thank you, Sven. Please see to my baggage being brought to my rooms.”

“Of course, my lord.” Sven closed the door behind him, and Robert put the polite and pleased smile on his face he always showed to his business partners.

Mr. Götze and his two older sons were waiting at the door for him, the joy about his visit clear to see on their faces. It was an honor that the wealthy Earl of Lindelborn resided in their humble home for a couple of days how the older man and his wife always put it, and Robert owed them too much to disappoint them.

“My dear Mr. Götze, it's such a pleasure to finally see you again!” Robert lied without blinking, shaking Mr. Götze senior's hand.

“Welcome in Mannheim, Lord Lando, the pleasure is all mine!” Mr. Götze gave back, pointing at his two sons with visible pride. “You surely remember my two older sons Fabian and Mario. They are old enough now to learn more about our business, they will accompany us within the next couple of days.”

Robert had feared that Mr. Götze would say that, because his sons were the reason why Robert had dreaded this visit as much as he had been looking forward to it. Not both of his older sons to be precise, but the younger one of them, Mario.

The dark-haired earl still remembered how Mario had looked at him when Mr. Götze had visited him in Bad Bergzabern with his family last year, and as he now turned around to Mario and Fabian to greet them, he could see the same desire and hero worship in the younger man's eyes he had shown towards him the last time. A desire Robert might actually have been inclined to respond to until only a couple of days ago - if there hadn't been a handsome young teacher with blond hair and amber-green eyes ghosting through his dreams.

Robert swallowed and offered his hand to Fabian at first and then to Mario, whose cheeks had turned pink because of his joy and excitement.

“Mr. Götze junior, Mr. Götze, I am pleased to see you again.”

Mario shook his hand a couple of seconds longer than it would have been necessary and appropriate, something that slipped Mr. Götze senior's attention, but not Fabian's, judging by the quick sidelong glance he shot at his brother.

“Lord Lando! We have been so very much looking forward to your visit!” Mario beamed, letting go of his hand only reluctantly, and Robert knew instantly that he was deeply in trouble.

 

***

 

The morning had gone by surprisingly smoothly, Oscar had been quiet and looked sad, and Marco's heart had ached for the young boy. It was clear to see that Oscar missed his father badly even though the lord spent only little time with him, but he had at least always taken his lunch with him, and the thought of Oscar having to eat all alone formed a huge lump in Marco's throat.

“What do you think of having a picnic, Oscar? It would be a shame to spend such a lovely summer day in between thick walls,” he suggested when it was time for lunch, and Oscar eyed him from under his thick eyelashes.

“I am supposed to spend the two hours after lunch in my rooms. My nurse always wanted me to take a nap, and my father doesn't want to be disturbed while he's working after lunch.”

“Hmm, I see,” Marco said. “But you're a ten-year-old boy, you surely don't need to take a nap any longer?”

Oscar shrugged his shoulders. “No, not really, but she was old and needed to nap.”

“Your father isn't here at the moment, so I can't ask him, but I think I might have a solution for the 'being-quiet-problem' without going against his wishes, Lord Oscar.”

The boy raised his head, new hope that he wouldn't need to spend the next two hours alone in his rooms making his eyes sparkle. “You have?” he asked eagerly, and Marco nodded his head.

“Yes, I have. During our picnic, we can have our philosophy talk so it would be another outdoor lesson, and afterwards we can start with our art classes. Painting is a task where you need to concentrate, so being quiet shouldn't be a problem, and I really want to paint this mighty castle together with you.”

Oscar's grateful and happy expression made Marco want to cry. “You would really do that? But what about your free time? Do you really want to spend your afternoon with me? I am sure that you have better things to do than to put up with an unruly student.” Oscar bit his lip and lowered his gaze. “I haven't been really nice and cooperative over the last week.”

“You have done what you needed to do, Lord Oscar. After your experiences with your last teachers, it is no wonder that you weren't excited about my arrival, and I always understood you. Plus, I really want to spend the afternoon in your company. I enjoy our talks a lot, Lord Oscar, and I would love to paint your beautiful home together with you. The landscape is breathtaking and only waiting to be painted. What do you think? Would you like that too?”

Oscar nodded his head, slowly gliding from his seat to take Marco's hand. The blond teacher squeezed it gently, smiling down at the boy. “Let's go to the kitchen and ask Mathilda if she will prepare a picnic for us. I am sure that she knows what two young men will need to sate their hunger properly!” he whispered conspiratorially, winking at his aristocratic pupil with his left eye.

His young charge let out a happy squeal. “A picnic, a real picnic! Please hurry, Mr. Reus!” he shouted, pulling forcefully at Marco's hand. Marco chuckled and let himself be pulled out of the rather dark classroom, promising to himself that he wouldn't let Oscar down.

The next time he met Lord Robert, he would keep his mouth shut and utter only pleasantries. Oscar needed him, and Marco wouldn't disappoint him - not now that he had finally found a way to win his trust and maybe even his friendship one day.


	6. Convergences, Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert has left Castle Lindelborn to visit some of his business partners while Marco and Oscar finally come closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to split this chapter into two because I want the chapters of this story to be not longer than about 3000 words, Robert will get his part in the next one, while this here is all about Marco finally winning Oscar's trust. It was also about time to let finally Erik show up. He will only be Marco's friend this time, but I could never write a Pfälzer Wald story without him showing up. After all, this entire series, consisting of eight parts already wouldn't exist without Erik because of his home town Pirmasens.
> 
> I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the wonderful feedback this story has received so far, please keep it up, it would mean the world to me if we reached the hundred kudos and hundred comments within the next two chapters. :-) Your support for this story is what keeps me wanting to write the next update for you as soon as only possible, and each kudo and comment is cherished and loved. <33

Marco had chosen the garden to be the perfect place for their picnic, carrying the huge basket Mathilda had filled to the brink with deliciously smelling food, while Oscar had insisted on carrying the blanket that would serve them as a cozy seat and protect their clothes from grass stains.

The young teacher knew that he shouldn't let the young lord carry things for him, but Oscar had looked so eager and happy, his cheeks finally losing their paleness and coloring in the wonderful pink of his excitement that Marco hadn't had the heart to decline his wish and carry the blanket himself like it would have been appropriate. The green grass was long and soft at this time of the year, and the warm air was filled with the sweet fragrance of the roses and the herbals that grew in the garden, the cheerful buzzing of the bees and the bumblebees diligently collecting nectar adding to the relaxed and peaceful atmosphere that lay over the entire castle on this sunny afternoon.

“Where will we sit?” Oscar asked eagerly, whirling around his axis to choose the best place for their picnic. Marco looked around, finally pointing at the lime tree that craned its thick, green canopy into the clear blue sky. “What do you think about having our picnic under the lime tree, Lord Oscar? Your skin still needs to get used to the sun, and so does mine, and I don't want to risk that we will get a sunburn before we have even started to paint your beautiful home.” Marco hoped that the boy would be reasonable enough to listen to him, and he found his judgment about Oscar being more mature than other boys in his age to be proved right, because the young lord only nodded and didn't try to argue with him. “The lime tree is fine, Mr. Reus.”

Marco couldn't tell for sure whether it was because he wanted to make up for his defiant behavior from last week or avoid them getting into trouble, but he was grateful that Oscar simply jogged over to the large tree to spread the blanket out on the green grass. The boy waited until Marco had reached him, and his happy smile was the most precious gift Marco had received in a very long time.

“This place is perfect, Lord Oscar,” the young teacher smiled back. “We can see the entire garden, and this beautiful lime tree will protect us from getting burned. We could have our lunch here every day as long as the weather will be warm enough.”

“That would be great, Mr. Reus!” Oscar sat down and took the napkin Marco handed him, bending forward to peek into the basket. “Strawberry pie!” he whispered in awe and bliss when he saw what Mathilda had prepared for them, and Marco chuckled, because he could understand Oscar's joy and excitement about the cake.

“Yes, this delicious strawberry pie will be our dessert. I promised Mathilda that we would also have some bread, cheese, cold meat and fruit, and that we will eat them before the strawberry pie. You don't want her having to tell me off because we ate too much cake before the more nourishing food, do you?”

Oscar snickered and shook his head. “No, Mr. Reus. Mathilda is wonderful, but she can be quite intimidating, and I really don't want to risk her wrath. Apart from that, I do love her bread and her cold meat.”

Marco put his hand on his chest right where his heart was with a theatrical sigh. “Ah, thank you, Lord Oscar, I will be indebted to you forever!” he exclaimed, and the boy surprised him because he didn't laugh but shyly snuggled close to him instead, leaning against Marco's side. The young man carefully wrapped his arm around the boy's small shoulders and pulled him close.

Oscar sighed, and his eyes begged Marco for his forgiveness. “I am sorry for what I did last week, Mr. Reus. You are not like any other teacher I've ever met, and I am glad that you are here. I shouldn't have put the salamander and the sand and the dirt in your bed.”

Marco stroked his hair and leaned against the thick trunk of the lime tree. “Yes, you shouldn't have, Lord Oscar, but I always understood why you did that, and I wasn't angry with you,” he said in a serious but also kind voice. “If I will ever meet one of your former teachers, I might be tempted to lock them in the dungeon this proud castle must have, forcing them to copy twenty pages of Tacitus in calligraphy with only one candle themselves. That would surely be a good lesson for them.”

Oscar turned his head to look up at him with big eyes. “You would really do that for me?” he wanted to know, and Marco nodded grimly. “Yes, I would. I have never used the stick or the whip, nor did I ever want to use them on anybody in my life so far, but the mere thought of what they did to you when they weren't satisfied with your copies makes me wish to use the stick on them and let them feel the same pain you have felt when they beat you.” The young teacher flinched at his own growl, but Oscar didn't move away from him, only pressed his small body closer to Marco's slim but strong frame. He seemed to sense that Marco's anger wasn't directed at him and finally started to trust him, and Marco stroked his arm to show him that he didn't need to fear anything from him.

“You would really do that for me,” Oscar repeated his words in wonder and amazement, this time not as a question but as a statement.

“Yes, I would, Oscar.” Marco decided that now would be a good time to talk about ghost Kuno. “This castle has a dungeon, hasn't it? Maybe you could convince your friend Kuno to show me where I can find it? Just in case that one of my predecessors will ever come back.”

Oscar blushed and peered at him from the side. “My friend Kuno?” he asked hesitantly, apparently not sure what Marco was up to.

Marco smiled innocently at him. “Yes, your friend Kuno, the ghost that spooks around in Castle Lindelborn. He came to me in the first night after my arrival. I had of course expected that this proud and beautiful old masonry would have a proper ghost, and I must say that I really wasn't disappointed. Kuno and I had a very nice talk, and he told me that he is your friend and takes care of you. I wouldn't be surprised if you told me that Kuno was what scared those stupid so-called teachers away after they had tortured you that much. Kuno warned me that he would do the same with me if I didn't treat you right, and we made a deal. He would give me a couple of weeks to prove myself worthy to be your teacher and if I failed, I would let him scare me away like all of the others.”

“I see,” was all Oscar could stammer. It was clear to see that he needed some time to digest the unexpected turn their conversation had taken, and Marco gave him the time to pull himself together the boy needed, busying himself with filling their plates in the meantime.

“And you weren't angry with Kuno because he disturbed you in the middle of the night?” Oscar took the plate, but his cheeks had paled again, and Marco almost regretted that he had mentioned the ghost Kuno. “But why would I be angry with him, Lord Oscar? Kuno is a ghost, he can only appear during the witching hour, it would be pretty dense and stupid to be angry with him because he does what he is supposed to do, wouldn't it? I am supposed to teach you, you are supposed to do your homework, and Kuno is supposed to spook around in the middle of the night and scare stupid teachers away. I could never be angry with him because he's fulfilling his duties and protecting his friend. I am glad that he is your friend, actually. I wouldn't mind him visiting me again, I hope that I will have proved myself worthy enough to stay your teacher when he shows up again.”

Oscar swallowed, and he started to nibble at the bread. “You wouldn't mind it if Kuno visited you again?” he asked, his voice trembling a little bit.

“On the contrary, I would love that. I am sure that Kuno can show me some places here in the castle only he knows, and it would probably be great fun to spook around with him a little bit. Do you think that he would do that? Be my guide and show me around? I would really like to see all those places every proper castle must have like a real dungeon and so on. I read a lot of books about old castles when I was a boy like you, and I always wanted to explore them, preferably by night.” Marco did his best to look sheepish and as if he had revealed one of his darkest secrets, and he must have been successful with his attempt, because Oscar snickered happily.

The boy's face was glowing red now, and he beamed all over his face. “I think that this can be arranged, Mr. Reus. Kuno visits me sometimes, and I will tell him that I like you and that you are not like all of the other teachers. I will tell him that you are my friend now too and that I want him to be nice to you, Mr. Reus!” he cried out excitedly, biting his lip when he realized what he had just said. “You don't mind me calling you my friend, Mr. Reus, do you?” he added uncertainly, and Marco's heart clenched with emotion and gratitude. “No, I don't mind, Lord Oscar. Quite the opposite. I would be honored if you considered me a friend, and I feel the same way about you. You are my friend too.”

The young lord snuggled against Marco and embraced him tightly with both arms. “I will tell Kuno that I don't want you to go away again, and I will ask him to show you the castle by night,” he promised, and Marco pulled the boy in his lap and rocked him gently, a huge weight falling down from his shoulders. “I will always be your friend, Lord Oscar,” he promised him sincerely. He wouldn't let the Earl of Lindelborn send him away, somehow, he would find a way to convince the dark-haired lord that he was the right teacher for his son. Marco only needed to find a way to make Lord Robert forgive him what he had said to him and then, everything would be fine again.

 

***

 

The rest of the picnic had gone by with Oscar telling Marco what he did when he was alone in his rooms, what happened quite often – far too often for Marco's liking – and Marco had told Oscar about his own childhood with his two older sisters and his life in Dortmund. The boy had listened to him attentively and interested, and he had asked some questions that showed his intelligence and his mature view on things.

When the food had found its way into their bellies, especially the more than delicious strawberry pie, Marco had packed the leftovers into the basket again together with Oscar's help before searching for the best place to start with their paintings. Oscar was truly talented, but it was obvious that his former teachers hadn't wanted to 'waste' their time with such unnecessary things like art classes, and Marco was busied with guiding Oscar's hand to show him the right technique when a young man with handsome features suddenly came into sight. He was as tall as Marco was and pushed a small wheel barrow in the direction of the lime tree but stopped when he noticed Marco and Oscar standing before their easels.

“Uhm, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you,” the young man apologized, and Marco smiled reassuringly at him. “You are Erik Durm, the gardener, right?” Erik had had his day off when Marco had been introduced to Lord Robert's staff and somehow, they hadn't met during Marco's first week in Castle Lindelborn so far.

The young man nodded. “Yes, I am Erik, Lord Robert's gardener. You must be Mr. Reus then, Lord Oscar's new teacher. Good afternoon, Lord Oscar,” the brunet added with a polite nod at the boy.

“Erik, Erik, look what Mr. Reus and I am doing!” Oscar shouted, pressing his hand against his mouth with a blush when Marco put his finger on his lip with a wink. “Oops, sorry, Mr. Reus. I am supposed to be quiet, right?”

Erik chuckled and stepped closer, gently ruffling Oscar's unruly hair. “The bees and my precious roses will forgive you this time, Lord Oscar,” he teased him gently, “I am glad to see you outside the house on this wonderful day.”

The gardener offered his hand to Marco, and the blond shook it with another smile. Erik was younger than Marco had thought Lord Robert's gardener to be, and the blond liked him right at first sight. Erik seemed to be a kind and warmhearted young man who cared as much about Oscar as all of the other employees, and Oscar apparently liked him as well. “Hello Erik, I am Marco Reus, Lord Oscar's teacher. I thought it to be a good idea to start with our art classes outside as long as the weather is still that warm and sunny, we will be inside the house for long enough when autumn comes.”

Erik stepped behind the young lord to take a look at the unfinished painting. “Oh, this is truly impressive. You're talented, Lord Oscar!” he praised the boy, and Oscar blushed and beamed at Marco. “That's only because Mr. Reus knows how to explain things the right way. He never gets angry but always explains his lessons to me until I really understand them.”

Now it was Marco's turn to blush at this excited praise. “It is a joy to teach you, Lord Oscar,” he gave back, stepping to the side to let Erik take a look at his own painting. The gardener regarded it silently for a while. He raised his head to look at the palas Marco had started to paint and whistled through his teeth. “You could be a painter and sell your paintings, Mr. Reus,” he finally stated, pulling a startled sound of protest from Oscar.

Marco shook his head. “It's kind of you to say that, Erik, but I love my job as a teacher far too much to even think about something like that. I hope that we won't disturb you here,” he changed the topic, gently squeezing Oscar's arm in reassurance, and Erik shrugged his shoulder with a crooked grin.

“No, not at all. I want to see to the rosebush on the other side of the garden,” he said, and Marco nodded. “Your roses are beautiful, you can be proud of them, Erik.”

“Thank you, Mr. Reus, I must admit that I am proud of them, they are the most beautiful roses in the entire region. Would you like to come with us to the ball in the pub at the base of the mountain next Saturday? Nuri, Jenny and Helena will go there as well. Lord Robert allowed us to visit the summer ball. Sebastian, Mathilda, Sven, his brother Lars and Julian went there last year, this year, it's our turn.”

Marco was surprised about this unexpected offer, and he hesitated, not wanting to leave Oscar alone when his father wasn't there to see to him. The boy seemed to sense the reason for his hesitation, because he took Marco's hand and looked up at him. “I am sure that my father will be fine with that, Mr. Reus. Mathilda and Sebastian will be there and take care of me. I know what you said about pubs and beer, but you should get to know the people living here. They are truly nice and friendly people, and the summer ball would be a good opportunity to get to know them. It would make it easier for you to settle in here.”

“Thank you, Lord Oscar, that's kind of you. I will think about your offer, Erik, thank you,” Marco said, not willing to make such an important decision without thinking about it for a couple of days.

Erik nodded understandingly. “Just take your time. And good luck with your paintings!” he winked at both of them before taking his wheel barrow and walking over to the other side of the garden with a cheerful whistle on his lips.

Marco blinked to clear his mind and focused his attention back on Oscar. “Alright, Lord Oscar, let's go on with our paintings,” he said, taking his brush again, and the young lord did the same. For a while, they painted in companionable silence, and Marco allowed himself to relax. It was a beautiful day and he had finally won Oscar's trust, what more could he possibly want?

 _'Lord Robert's approval, maybe even his love!'_ a small voice whispered in his head, but Marco pushed it back into the farthest corner of his mind, hoping that he wouldn't hear it then any longer.

The Earl of Lindelborn would never return Marco's secret feelings for him, would he? He was a proud and wealthy lord after all - while Marco was only an unimportant teacher - and he'd better never forget that again and stop dreaming about miracles that would never happen.


	7. Convergences, Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco and Oscar have finally become friends, while Robert feels surprisingly lonely and unhappy on his business trip...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so very much for your lovely feedback again, your wonderful support is what keeps me writing and posting the next chapter as fast as only possible for you. <33 I am so excited that you love this story that much, I hope you will like this chapter just as much as the last ones.  
> The first part is all about Robert and I tried my best to describe the surroundings and give you an impression of the world he's living in. Such clubs like I described here existed, even though they were probably different from what I imagine my club to be, I hope you will find it appropriate and believable.  
> The second part with Robert is, hmm, just read for yourself, I'm curiously waiting for your comments. :-)  
> The third part is all about Marco and Oscar again, the book Marco wants to read to Oscar was available only in English in the eighties of the 19th century, the first German version was published 1897, I googled that. My Oscar is an intelligent boy, and his English is probably good enough to listen to English bedtime stories.  
> Please let me know what you think of this chapter, your visible approval would mean a lot to me!

“Please excuse me for a moment.” Robert smiled at his host and his two sons and rose to his feet, pretending that he needed to go to the restroom. Mr. Götze senior had invited his aristocratic guest to a dinner in his favorite club, where they could have dinner and smoke their cigars in the company of the high society of Mannheim. It was a club reserved for men only of course, because Mr. Götze preferred to discuss business in such surroundings instead of doing that at the dining table of his own villa and boring the present ladies with things they wouldn't understand anyway how he put it.

Robert wouldn't have minded to talk about their business in front of Mrs. Götze and the wives of their other business partners, but he had accepted Mr. Götze's wish without arguing. He knew this club from his former visits, the meals were delicious and the atmosphere distinguished and quiet, and the only thing that really bothered him here was the smoky air. Robert had never started to smoke even though his friends had asked him to at least try it, but they had finally stopped their fruitless attempts a long time ago when they had realized that the dark-haired earl wouldn't do them the favor. The smoke of the cigars always made his eyes water, and Robert craved for some fresh air and some minutes alone as he made his way through the large room to search for a place where he would have both.

The club had three floors, the ground-floor where the younger members of Mannheim's high society could meet their friends and future business partners, the perfect place for the sons and the heirs of the rich families who just started to join their fathers' business, still needing to find out what they wanted to do and where their place was in the world of the grown ups.

The first floor was reserved for the older generation, for the patriarchs of the influential families, it was the place where deals were made and contracts were fixed, and where men like Mr. Götze came together to talk about politics or to just enjoy a drink and read the newspapers undisturbed without their wives complaining about being neglected.

The two rooms on the first floor where large but yet granted the privacy the club members coming here valued so highly, because they were divided in several niches with six large and comfortable armchairs and small tables placed beside each chair at a max. Some of the niches were separated from the others with screens, while others were left open and only divided from the others by the way the armchairs were placed with their backrests to the backrests of the other chairs.

The book shelves made of polished, shiny dark oak on the wall opposite the window front gave the rooms the cozy atmosphere of a library where you could find the newest books and newspapers without having to buy them. The colors of the thick velvet curtains before the windows gave both rooms their names, the red room and the green room. The furniture of both chambers was heavy and made of the same dark oak like the bookshelves, just like it was appropriate for a club with only male members.

The furniture of the two rooms for the younger generation was made of the lighter beech wood, and the curtains had also lighter colors, azure-blue curtains for the blue room, and creamy-beige curtains for the beige one.

The owner of the club, Mr. Jakub Blaszczykowski, had also been that foresighted to equip these rooms with billiard tables. Robert actually preferred the lighter atmosphere of the blue and the beige rooms, but he knew that Mr. Götze senior would take it as an offense if he ever asked him to spend his time among the foolish youngsters that were still wet behind their ears. Robert as the senior partner of their business could have insisted on it, but it was never a clever move to annoy the ones you were working with, and Robert had learned to play the games of the high society and fulfill the expectations of others a long time ago.

The third floor opened only in the evenings and only for several exclusive club members because it was the gambling room of the club. New club members needed an invitation of one of those who belonged to this special circle, and Mr. Blaszczykowski always checked them thoroughly before they got the permission to join the gambling room. Robert of course had such a permission, but he didn't make use of it very often because he knew the risks of becoming addicted to gambling. It had ruined so many former wealthy families, and the wives and the children always suffered much more than the husbands and fathers who had put them into misery with their gambling addiction, something Robert loathed and hated. He liked billiard much better than poker or other games of chance, and the young earl found himself musing whether or not the young teacher of his son knew how to play billiard. Robert had his own table in his library, but it had been a long time since he had last played. His butler Sebastian sometimes played with him, but it still aroused painful memories in Robert, memories of happier times when he had played with...

Robert shook his head and pressed his lips to a thin line as he stepped onto one of the balconies one could reach from the long corridor that led to the restrooms, inhaling deeply the fresh air of the early afternoon. He was lucky, no other club member had had the same idea, and Robert leaned against the railing and closed his eyes to let the sun caress his face. The Earl of Lindelborn had had hardly any time for himself since his arrival the previous day, especially Mario Götze had followed him like a puppet on the string, and Mr. Götze senior obviously wanted to make the best out of Robert's short visit and had invited some close friends for dinner to celebrate a new profitable contract they had fixed.

Before Marco Reus' arrival in Castle Lindelborn, Robert had always been glad when he could leave his home for a while because of one of his business trips, but it was different this time. He had lain awake for a rather long time last night, thinking about what his son and the blond teacher were doing and how they got along with each other. He was still hurt and angry with the younger man because of what Marco had thrown at him, but the young lord was also honest enough to admit that Marco had been right with what he had said. To the blond, it must look as if Robert didn't love his son enough, which was actually far from the truth.

The lack of love for Oscar wasn't what made Robert avoid spending time with his offspring, quite the opposite. Robert loved his sweet son with all his heart, loved him more than he had ever loved anything or anyone, and this from the day he had held his son in his arms, a small bundle with a deep red face and tiny hands balled to tight fists, crying his lungs out about the injustice of having been thrown into a cold and unfriendly world as he mourned the loss of the heavenly warm place where he had been as safe, protected and untroubled as he would never ever be in his entire life again.

Robert still remembered clearly how he had looked down at his crying son in awe and wonder, asking himself how something that small and fragile could be that perfect and strong at the same time. He had still been that young himself, not even twenty, but he had known with absolute certainty that he would always love and protect this tiny being with all he had, even give his own life for him without thinking, and his feelings for Oscar had never changed ever since this precious moment when he had held and rocked his crying son for the first time.

Only the cruel circumstance of real life had made them drifting apart, and Robert hadn't known how to fix the things he had broken because of his own raging grief and his horrible bad conscience until it had been too late for him to do that without help any longer.

Maybe this help had finally come to him in form of a handsome young teacher with amber-green eyes and blond hair, Robert at least hoped that Marco could help him coming closer to Oscar again, and he longed to go back talk to the younger man, to listen to him when he talked that vividly about the things that mattered to him, and to perhaps tell him some things he had never told to anybody before.

Voices coming from the corridor pulled the young lord out of his musings, and Robert sighed and opened his eyes again. He should really stop dreaming of things that would never happen, it was stupid to even think that he could ever be happy again and love somebody after the horrible events ten years ago. His heart ached by the prospect of spending the rest of his life alone and without tender arms holding him during the long and cold nights, but it would also prevent another heartache and more mourning and grieving, which might be the better option after what he had gone through when he had been too young to understand how cruel fate could be.

The young earl pushed himself away from the railing with a grim face, making his way back to the smoky room where his business partners were waiting for him, his footsteps firm and unwavering, but his heart heavy with grief and a longing he even didn't want to admit to himself.

 

***

 

_Soft lips traveled over Robert's face, lips that belonged clearly to another man because they were thinner than the lips of a young lady, but for Robert they felt so much better, so much righter as they captured his own sensitive mouth in a tender kiss._

_The short stubble of cheeks that had been shaved early in the morning hours ago grazed over his own one-day stubble, and Robert moaned, the slight burn sending shivers of arousal along his spine. The skin of his lover smelled of herbal soap and a little bit of smoke, and Robert wondered briefly about that, because he had never smelled cigars on the new teacher of his son, nor had he ever seen him smoking cigars like so many other young men did to impress others. The thought vanished when warm hands glided under his pajama, teasing his flushed skin with feather-light caresses._

_It felt so good to be caressed this way, to be stroked and touched, short nails teasing his erect nipples until Robert arched his back and moaned with desire again. The fingertips were surprisingly soft, the skin smooth, these hands belonged clearly to someone who had never had to work for his living and Robert frowned, remembering that the fingers of the blond teacher occupying his mind day and night were long and elegant but undoubtedly the fingers of someone working hard and with his own hands._

_Robert had secretly imagined those elegant fingers caressing his body, exploring every inch of his naked flesh with ardor and longing, and he felt a little bit disappointed by the unexpected smoothness of them. But they felt too good on his chest and his abdomen to muse about their texture for much longer, and the dark-haired earl sighed and focused on the lust and pleasure the fingers aroused in him._

_The tempting mouth nibbled at his lips, the tip of a cheeky tongue demanding entrance to the soft cavern of behind them, and Robert opened them for his dream lover, his own arms coming up to their own will to pull the handsome teacher closer to his aching body._

_It had been so long since he had last felt this way, since he had felt loving hands on his body and tender lips on his mouth, and Robert knew that he would die if he couldn't feel his lover closer, feel their naked bodies pressed close to each other._

_“Marco, my sweet Marco!” Robert moaned ardently just to whine disappointedly when the other man moved away from him all of a sudden._

_“Yes, it's me, Robert. I knew that you would return my feelings one day, please, make love to me, Robert!”_

The voice definitely didn't belong to the young teacher Robert had desired from the first look in his amber-green eyes on, and his own eyes snapped open as he sat up in his bed, wide awake within the blink of an eye. The dark-haired earl stared at his nightly visitor, dressed only with white linen underpants and a similar white undershirt, his brown hair tousled from Robert's fingers and his lips swollen from their kiss. Mario Götze looked at him with hooded eyes, his chest heaving from his fast breathing, and he reached out with his arms to embrace Robert and kiss him again.

Robert hurriedly glided to the side, out of the young man's reach, opened his mouth, then swallowed, swallowed again and cleared his throat, finally able to grind out:

“Mario - Mr. Götze! What the hell are you doing in my bed?!”

 

***

 

Marco's and Oscar's day had been wonderful, and they came home from their art classes and the long walk they had taken afterwards with rosy cheeks and sparkling eyes.

“Mathilda, Mathilda, look what we have brought you!” Oscar cried out when they entered the large and friendly kitchen, presenting the colorful bouquet he had plucked for her with obvious pride. The cook smiled at the young boy and took the flowers to sniff on them.

“Ah thank you so much, darling, they are wonderful. Let's see if we find a vase for them.” Mathilda offered her hand to the boy and Oscar took it, gazing happily at his teacher. “Thank you, Mr. Reus, I had two wonderful days. I'm so happy that you are here.”

Marco crouched down before Oscar and stroked his cheek. “I am happy to be here too, Lord Oscar. I enjoyed the last two days just as much.” He exchanged a quick glance with Mathilda. Sebastian and Mathilda normally saw to Oscar when his father wasn't there, and Marco had been unsure if he was allowed to interfere with their daily evening-routine and therefore had said goodnight to Oscar the previous evening when they had come home from their first art classes. But it hadn't felt right to leave the boy like this, and the blond now smiled at his young student - who had become much more to him than only a student very quickly – and asked:

“What would you think of having dinner together with Mathilda, Sebastian and me? We could eat here in the kitchen, and I could read you a bedtime story when it's time for bed. I know that you are old enough to put yourself to bed and maybe you are not interested in bedtime stories any longer, but I always enjoyed it when my father read to me and my sisters and I thought that you perhaps wouldn't mind me doing the same for you? I have a really interesting new book, it is called 'Treasure Island'. It is written in English, but I could translate it into German for you, even though your English is already pretty good and you will most likely be able to follow the original without too many problems, Lord Oscar.”

Oscar's lips trembled and he swallowed hard, clinging to Mathilda's hand. “You would really read me a bedtime story? You don't think that I am too old for that?”

Marco shook his head. “Of course not, my dear boy.” The young teacher couldn't bring himself to call the small boy 'Lord Oscar', not in this special situation. “I have never heard of any age limit for bedtime stories or goodnight kisses. I know for sure that I will never be too old for these things.”

“I would like that,” whispered Oscar, furtively wiping his eyes. Mathilda didn't say anything, apparently not wanting to intrude on this private moment between the young teacher and her young lord, but her eyes told Marco how much she appreciated his suggestion.

Marco nodded contentedly. “It's fixed then. I need to refresh myself a little bit while the two of you are looking for a vase for your beautiful bouquet, and please don't forget to wash your hands, Lord Oscar. I'll be back right away again.”

The pretty boy nodded vigorously. “Scout's honor, Mr. Reus. Mathilda wouldn't let me eat with dirty hands anyway.”

“You bet I wouldn't!” Mathilda tried to look grimly but failed miserably, too happy that Oscar's eyes were shining like they hadn't shone in a very long time.

Marco winked at him and rose to his feet with a chuckle, leaving the kitchen to head to his tower chamber and search for the book he wanted to read to Oscar. The blond teacher hummed a cheerful melody, greeting Sebastian and the young servant Julian crossing his way, his mind occupied with the things he wanted to do with Oscar the next day. Marco tried hard not to think of Osccar's father and of what the handsome earl with the dark curls and the blue eyes was doing in this moment - whether he thought of his son and maybe even of Marco himself as well, or if he was relieved that he was far away from Castle Lindelborn and didn't need to deal with a ten-year-old child and its cheeky and unruly teacher.

Marco shook his head in annoyance as he entered his room, forcing himself to focus on making himself presentable for dinner instead of what Oscar's father might be doing at the moment. When he had washed his face and his hands and was content with his appearance again, he started search for the book he wanted to read to Oscar later when he put him to bed.

No child in this world should have to do that on their own, and Marco was determined to establish a new much nicer and for a young boy much more appropriate bedtime routine at least as long as Oscar's father was on his business trip and couldn't forbid him to do that. He was sure that neither Mathilda nor Sebastian would say anything against it, and the young teacher smiled when he found the book he had been looking for in the wooden chest.

Marco lovingly stroked over the leather cover before he left his chamber again to go back to the kitchen, where his new family was waiting for him. Marco didn't know when he had started to consider Oscar and Mathilda his family, but it felt right to think of them this way, and the smile curling his lips was a genuine and happy smile.

Oscar and Mathilda were his family now as much as his own parents and his sisters were, and if Marco was lucky, then Lord Robert wouldn't send him away but allow him to become a part of his little family himself one day. Marco had always been one to think optimistic and this was what he would do, think optimistic and hope that the fascinating earl would return his feelings one day.


	8. Nightly Visits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco promised Oscar to read him a bedtime story, and Robert has to deal with Mario trying to seduce him. What will happen when 'ghost Kuno' visits Marco again?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all your lovely support, it means so much to me!! <33 This chapter is a long one, and it goes on with the plot - let the drama begin. ;-)

“We will go on with this thrilling story tomorrow.” Marco closed the book to gaze down at the sleepy boy lying curled up in his bed, a soft smile curling at his lips when he met Oscar's eyes.

“Thank you, Mr. Reus, I enjoyed you reading to me a lot. The last two days have been the most wonderful days in my life,” Oscar mumbled wistfully, and Marco's throat clenched with emotion.

“I am happy that you enjoyed our time that much, Lord Oscar. I feel the same way.” He stroked the rosy cheek, following Oscar's furtive glance when the young lord peered up at the shelf over his bed. He chewed on his lip, and Marco waited patiently until he had worked up enough courage to ask the question burning on his tongue.

“Mr. Reus, do you think that I am too old to sleep with my teddy bear?”

The blond teacher wanted to cry at this shy and anxious question. What must Oscar have gone through to think that he was not allowed to cuddle with his plushy when he was alone and his father far away? “Of course not, my dear boy. You are very mature for your age, but you are yet a ten-year-old boy, and sleeping with your teddy close to you is very appropriate for a young boy. I am sure that your teddy feels pretty lonely sitting alone and cold on this shelf during the long nights,” he said softly, and Oscar relaxed and smiled gratefully at him. “Thank you, Mr. Reus, if you tell me that I am not too old for that, then I believe you.”

Marco took the teddy from the shelf, and Oscar grabbed it with a happy sigh and pressed it against his chest. It was a beautiful teddy with shimmering gray fur, brown eyes, a red nose and creamy-white paws, and the young teacher could see how much the plushy meant to Oscar. “Did your father tell you that you are too old for that?” The mere thought of Lord Robert doing that to his son made him feel angry at the handsome earl again, but Oscar shook his head. “No, he didn't. But my nurse said that I was too old for that, and my classmate Karl teased me and laughed at me when he found Mr. Pebble in my bed.”

“Hmm, I see. Old nurses are very strange sometimes, aren't they?” Marco mused, stroking over Oscar's ruffled hair. “And if you ask me about my honest opinion, then I would say that Karl has hidden a plushy in his bed himself.” He leaned forward, winking at Oscar with his eye and lowering his voice to a whisper. “Do you want to know a secret, Lord Oscar?”

The boy nodded with sparkling eyes, and Marco took a deep breath. “I still sleep with my own teddy now and then, especially when I'm not at home in my own bed. My bear listens to the name Marcel, and he is one of my best friends. He normally lives in the chest in my room and takes care of my stuff, but I think that I will let him sleep on my pillow in the future, what do you think? Do you think that Marcel would like that better? Mr. Pebble is a very appropriate name for your teddy bear, by the way, its fur has the same beautiful color as the pebbles we found in the garden yesterday.”

“Thank you, Mr. Reus,” snickered Oscar, “I think that Marcel will find your pillow much more comfortable than the chest.”

Marco nodded with greatest sincerity. “Yes, I think so too.” He stroked Oscar's cheek again, bending down to place a gentle kiss onto the boy's forehead. “As I said before, Lord Oscar, there is no age limit for bedtime stories and goodnight kisses, and I don't think that there should be an age limit for teddy bears either. Go to sleep now, I will stay here with you until you're asleep.” He wasn't ashamed that his voice sounded hoarse, and Oscar rewarded him with a happy smile before he closed his eyes, pulling his teddy close to his small chest.

Marco pulled the covers over his shoulders and kept stroking his hair until Oscar was sound asleep, thanking God for the friendly fate that had brought him to Castle Lindelborn to take care of a young boy whose life hadn't been a happy one so far.

 

***

 

“Mario! Mr. Götze! What the hell do you think are you doing here?!” Robert demanded, hoping that this was still a dream he was trapped in, a nightmare he would wake up from soon. He flinched when he pinched himself, just to be sure that he was truly awake, and his disappointment about the interruption of the more than pleasant dream about Marco caressing and kissing him made his voice harsh.

The young man crouching on his bed dressed only with his underwear flinched, his brown eyes begging Robert to understand.

“B-b-but I thought that you... The way you smiled at me... looked at me... you were so nice to me during our last visit in Bad Bergzabern, and you treated me as if you really liked me...” Mario stammered, his face white like snow except for two deep red spots glowing on his cheeks.

Robert suppressed a groan and inhaled and exhaled slowly to calm himself down. “Of course I like you, Mr. Götze. You're a charming young man, and the son of a close friend and one of my business partners. But I really didn't think that you would mistake my kindness for something else!” he growled helplessly.

Mario ducked his head under his growl, and he swallowed several times as he struggled to keep his dignity and his self-control. “But you said my name when I kissed you, and you sounded so wistfully, I really thought that you liked what I did. You seemed to enjoy my caresses, stroking me and kissing me back...” he tried, the two red spots becoming purple as he returned Robert's disbelieving stare.

“I wasn't even awake, Mr. Götze. I was sleeping and I surely didn't say your name. You must have misinterpreted my murmur.” Robert had a bad conscience when he saw the hurt in Mario's eyes, sensing that the young man felt rejected and worthless now.

The dark-haired earl sighed, forcing a more gentle tone into his voice. “You are a handsome and charming young man, Mario. You will surely find someone who truly loves you one day, but I can't be the one. Even if I desired you,” Robert raised his hand to silence Mario when the younger man opened his mouth, “which I don't do, Mario – but even if I did, we could never be together. Your father is my friend, and I could never betray him that way.”

“But I love you, Robert.” Mario hung his head, looking utterly defeated.

Robert sighed and reached out to pat his shoulder. “I know that you really think that you love me, Mario. But I am sure that it is only a crush that will pass again. You don't really know me, and I am not the right one for you. You will find a sweet young woman you will fall in love with sooner than you will know.”

Mario shook his head. “I will never fall in love with a young woman, Lord Robert. I tried, I really tried to like the young ladies my father finds appropriate enough to become one of his daughters-in-law one day, but I couldn't force myself to feel something for any of them – anything. I really thought that you... you never married again, I just...”

Robert bit down on his tongue to keep the angry answer inside that wanted to escape his lips. “My private life is really none of your business, Mr. Götze!”

His unexpected nightly visitor flinched again, and he bit down hard on his lip until a small red drop appeared. “Will you go to my father and tell him what I have done?” he whispered, and Robert could hear the fear in Mario's trembling voice.

“No, Mario, I won't do that. It would only cause grief and pain. But you have to leave me now, and you will never ever try something like this again, understood?”

Mario nodded subdued. “Thank you, Lord Robert. I give you my word that I won't come near you again. I didn't mean to make you feel disgusted, I really thought that you returned my feelings for you.”

“Yes, I know, Mario. But I don't, not that way, I'm sorry. Please leave me alone now.”

The young man nodded and climbed down from the bed, making his way to the door with slumped shoulders. When he had reached it, he threw one last glance back over his shoulder before squeezing himself through the small slit and closing the door behind himself again.

Robert stared at the closed door with a heavy heart and nausea pooling in his stomach, and when the quiet footsteps of his late visitor were not audible any longer, the young earl buried his face in his pillow and pulled the covers over his head, his desperately whispered words muffled by the thick cushion.

“Oh Lord in Heaven above, what have I done?”

 

***

 

Marco and Oscar had settled in in a nice routine, spending their days with Marco teaching the young boy his lessons during the mornings, having lunch under the lime tree and exploring the wonderful nature surrounding the castle during the afternoons after the art classes. The young teacher loved their long walks, which also provided him with the opportunity to include his biology and geology lessons in them without Oscar finding them boring.

Having dinner together with Mathilda, Sebastian, Jenny and Helena had become a nice tradition, all of them sitting around the large table in the kitchen and talking about their days. Oscar's cheeks always showed a rosy color these days, and his beautiful hazel eyes sparkled vividly when he retold what 'his' Mr. Reus and he had seen, explored and done.

There were only two days left before the ball in the pub at the base of the castle mountain would take place, and Marco still hadn't decided whether he should go there or rather stay at home to be there for the boy in case that Oscar would need him.

“You really should go there and enjoy yourself, Mr. Reus!” Oscar said, “apart from that, Helena and Jenny will need such a great gentleman like you are to protect them, just in case.”

Helena snickered and ruffled Oscar's hair. “Thank you, Lord Oscar, it's too kind of you that you are concerned about Jenny's and my well-being. You will become a perfect gentleman one day, I know that for sure.”

Marco shook his head with a blush, but he couldn't hide his joy about Oscar's words. “I'm relieved to hear that you consider me a true gentleman, Lord Oscar. But Erik and Nuri will surely be more than capable to protect these two beautiful ladies.”

Now it was Jenny's and Helena's turn to blush with a pleased giggle, but Marco didn't miss the quick glance the two maids exchanged with Sebastian and Mathilda. “Lord Oscar is right, Marco,” Sebastian finally said, “you really should join them and visit the ball. Mathilda and I will be there for Lord Oscar, and Julian and Felix can help us. The people living here are wonderful, warmhearted people, and this ball will be the best opportunity to get to know them better.”

“I don't have any say in this matter, do I?” Marco eventually gave in, and Oscar grinned all over his face. “No, you have not, Mr. Reus. I'm the lord of this castle as long as my father isn't there, so you have to obey my orders!” the boy said, dropping his voice to the lowest tone he was capable of and trying to give his face a stern and mature look.

The five grown ups chuckled, and Marco smiled at his young charge. “Of course, my lord, if you say so, then I will of course obey your order and make sure that these fine young ladies won't get lost tomorrow,” he agreed, and Oscar nodded contentedly before finishing his meal. “I'm pleased to hear that!”

Marco did the same, carefully chewing on the last slice of bread, torn between looking forward to just be a carefree young man for an evening and his wish to stay in the castle in case that Oscar would need him. He was touched that the young boy cared so much about him that Marco having a nice evening mattered more to him than his own comfort, and he felt angry again when he remembered his last talk with Oscar's father. Why couldn't the Earl of Lindelborn see what a wonderful boy his son was? Why did he stay away from him instead of spending as much time with his son as only possible?

Marco was determined to find the answers to these questions and this time, he wouldn't let Lord Robert send him away again without having answered them.

 

***

 

Marco slowly blinked his eyes open, not sure what had woken him up in the middle of the night. He sat up and started to smile when he saw that he had a nightly visitor he had been waiting for for a couple of days by now.

“Ah, hello Ghost Kuno,” he greeted the small figure under the white sheet, “I am pleased to see you again. I hope that you are well!”

The 'ghost' waved his arms under the sheet. “Boohoo! Good evening, Mr. Reus. My friend Oscar told me that you would like me to visit you again to show you the castle by night,” 'Kuno' howled, and Marco suppressed a chuckle to not offend his special and very welcomed visitor.

“That was very kind of him, Kuno. We talked about you the other day, and I told him that I am happy that he has such a good friend who takes care of him as wonderfully as you do. He assured me that you are indeed a good friend, and he promised me to ask you if you would be willing to show me the dungeon, just in case that one of his former teachers will come back.”

'Kuno' cautiously glided closer to the bed, looking at something beside Marco. The blond teacher lifted the bear up and moved its arm to let the teddy wave at the 'ghost' with its paw. “Good evening, Kuno! I am Marcel, one of Mr. Reus' friends!” he said in a low voice, and the small white figure snickered like only ten-year-old boys could snicker.

“Hello Marcel, I'm glad to see that Mr. Reus has a friend protecting him at night as well.” The 'ghost' jerked his sheet-covered head in the direction of the door. “Are you ready for your tour, Mr. Reus? I have to be back before the end of the witching hour.”

Marco hurried to leave the bed and take his dressing gown from the chair where he had left it before going to bed. “I am ready when you are, Kuno, after you, please!”

 

***

 

It was a good thing that the other inhabitants of the castle were all sleeping, because the sight of a small white figure and a much taller figure with their sheet and their dressing gown swinging around their legs as they flitted through the dark corridors would probably have scared them pretty much if they had crossed Marco's and 'Kuno's paths.

Marco was amazed how well his young charge knew the castle, his uncommon guide didn't only show him the dungeon, which was a really dark and scary hole in the ground in one of the cellars. The trapdoor to the dungeon was locked, and Marco was relieved when 'Kuno' told him that only Lord Robert had the key to it and always took the key with him when he left the castle, but there was a peep hole in the door, and the light of the candle 'Kuno' had been so foresighted to grab before starting with their tour illuminated the cellar enough for Marco to find his suspicion confirmed that it had once been a real dungeon.

The blond tried to remember the last time he had had so much fun, exploring a mighty old castle by night being on top of his list of harmless pleasures now.

'Kuno' led him upstairs to the top of the highest tower after showing him the dungeon, and Marco gasped out when he looked out of the small window, the starry sky over the black silhouettes of the mountains and hills a breathtaking sight. It was a small room obviously meant for undisturbed reading. A large and comfortable armchair before the window provided the reader with enough daylight, a table for a glass and a carafe standing beside the chair. The shelves attached to the wall opposite the window were large enough for at least two hundred books, and Marco's trained eyes could see that most of them were old and well-read. A blanket hanging neatly folded over the right armrest made sure that the user of this room wouldn't freeze because the room lacked a fireplace.

Marco guessed that the fireplaces of the room lying directly underneath this one provided it with some warmth, and the thick woolen blanket would do the rest.

“My fat... I mean Lord Oscar's father comes here when he wants to be alone and undisturbed,” 'Kuno' explained, but Marco had already suspected that.

“I see. It's a wonderful place, thank you for showing me, Kuno.” Marco looked around, feeling a little bit as if he was intruding on Lord Robert's privacy. The 'ghost' uncomfortably shifted his weight from one foot to the other, and Marco realized that Oscar had brought him here for a special reason.

He sat down in the chair and patted his knee. “You're a mighty ghost, Kuno, but you're small enough to sit on my knees, because there is no other seat except for the rather cold floor. I'm not sure whether or not ghosts can get sick, but we don't want to risk anything, do we?”

'Kuno' climbed onto his lap, leaning against Marco's shoulder, and the young teacher wrapped his arms around the thin back hidden underneath the white sheet and waited patiently.

“My friend Oscar sometimes comes here when he wants to be alone as well. He did so last year when his father had to take him from school because of Karl.”

“Lord Oscar's stupid classmate? The one who says that Oscar was too old to sleep with Mr. Pebble next to him?”

'Kuno' nodded. “Yes. Lord Oscar tied him to a tree during the night – without clothes, the reason why Karl's father insisted on Lord Oscar having to leave the Berwartstein, but Karl had deserved it. He had poured a bucket with cold water over my friend's bed, but that wasn't what had made Lord Oscar that angry.”

Marco carefully took a few calm and deep breaths when he realized that he would now learn more about the reasons for Oscar's unruly behavior. The young lord could obviously not tell him the story himself, probably too ashamed to do that, so he let 'Kuno' tell his adored teacher the truth about the events that had finally led to Marco coming to Castle Lindelborn. The blond resisted the urge to stroke his young charge or say something soothing, he feared that he wouldn't get a second chance then to learn the truth, and so he simply nodded his head, hoping that Oscar already trusted him enough to tell him the truth.

“I see. This Karl must have said or done something really mean, I guess?”

'Kuno' hung his head. “Karl was mean. He poked Lord Oscar the entire time that he wasn't the real heir of the Earl of Lindelborn. He told everyone - Oscar's friends and his classmates - that Lord Oscar is a bastard, that his mother cheated on Lord Robert with another man. He said that my friend wasn't worthy to wear his name and call himself a lord. He said that his father only sent him to the Berwartstein to not having to see the bastard of another man the entire time! Oscar told him to stop telling such horrible lies, but Karl simply wouldn't listen. He simply wouldn't stop calling him a bastard until Oscar's friends finally did the same. 'Bastard, you're a bastard!' That's what they said again and again, even some of his teachers after a while. They all called him a bastard.”

Kuno-Oscar buried his face on Marco's shoulder and started to cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops, cliffhanger... I'm sorry, I guess? (Not really, cough, cough). I hope that you won't hate me too much now, but some things might be different from what they seem to be...  
> *whistles sheepishly and tiptoes hastily out of the room*


	9. Shared Burdens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oscar disguised as the ghost Kuno has told Marco that Karl tortured him by telling everyone that he isn't Lord Robert's son, while his father struggles at the same time with Mario's crush...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is the longest of this story so far with more than 4000 words, but I couldn't really split it into two. I must admit that I really like it, it is probably one of my favorite chapters of this story so far. I hope that you will like it just as much. :-)
> 
> I want to thank all of you for your wonderful feedback to the last chapter, it is what made me write this one as fast as only possible. You liking this story that much and showing me that you do with your kudos and your comments is what keeps me motivated to go on with this fic, so if you enjoyed this chapter as well, please tell me! <33

Marco's first reaction was to pull the sheet from Oscar's with heavy sobs shivering and trembling body, but he didn't give in to this urge as he remembered just in time that Oscar had waited to tell him his sad story until he could do it in the disguise of ghost Kuno instead of having to do that as his pupil.

The young man's vision blurred with the hot anger he felt, and he wasn't sure whether his anger was more directed at Oscar's former classmates who had tortured him that much, or if he was angry with Oscar's father because the lord apparently cared so little about his son's fears and his truly horrible experiences during his time in school.

The young teacher inhaled and exhaled slowly to not let Oscar-Kuno feel his anger, because this would have been the worst things of all, the young boy probably thinking that Marco was angry with him or didn't like him any longer after this truly shocking revelation if he sensed his ire and thought that Marco was angry with him.

Marco carefully wrapped his arms around the crying bundle curled up in his lap, rocking the young boy gently. “And you are angry with Karl at Oscar's behalf, Kuno?” he asked, and the small figure nodded his head under the from his tears now damp sheet. “Yes, I am,” he croaked out, and Marco's heart clenched at the miserable and defeated tone.

“I see. It honors you that you care so much about him, Kuno. Lord Oscar is truly lucky to have such a good friend,” he said, musing about his next words. “Does Lord Robert know anything about all of this?”

The 'ghost' shook his head, rubbing his face against Marco's shoulder as he did so. “No. The earl was angry with his son because of all the trouble he had caused, and my friend didn't dare to tell him the reason for his prank and his behavior.”

“Hmm. He should have told his father the truth about what had happened, but I can understand why Lord Oscar didn't do that.”

Oscar-Kuno tensed up in Marco's arms. “You won't go to Lord Lando and talk to him about what I just told you, will you, Mr. Reus?” Marco could hear the fear in his small voice, and he reassuringly stroked over the sheet where Oscar's head were resting on his shoulder. It didn't go unnoticed that Oscar had addressed his father as 'earl' and 'Lord Lando', something that was one more sad evidence how damaged and complicated the relationship between father and son was.

“No, I won't, Kuno. I am Lord Oscar's friend, and I won't betray him. You told me his story trusting me that I would keep it confidential and not tell it to anyone, and I won't do that but keep it to myself.”

“Thank you, Mr. Reus. Lord Oscar is lucky that you are his friend now too.” The boy sounded exhausted, and a new wave of hot fury shot through the blond teacher.

“I am the lucky one here, being allowed to call him my friend, Kuno,” Marco said, pressing a quick kiss onto his sheet-covered hair.

For a while, they sat there without speaking, Oscar-Kuno's sobs slowly fading. “Will you talk about it with Lord Oscar?”

Marco could tell by the anxious tone in the boy's voice that he didn't want that, and he shook his head, knowing that Oscar was watching him through the small slits where his hazel eyes were shimmering in the dark room.

“No, I won't. If he had wanted to tell me about Karl's hurtful and false accusations, he would have done that. I appreciate that you informed me why Lord Oscar had to leave the Berwartstein, and I think that I understand a lot of things much better now, but I will keep our talk confidential and not talk to Lord Oscar about it, either, Kuno.”

The boy relaxed, and it didn't take long until he asked the question Marco's carefully chosen words had aroused in him.

“False accusations? Why do you think that Karl wasn't right with what he said? Everyone else believed him, even Mr. Pepper, the director of the Berwartstein.”

“Yes, I thought so. The teachers Mr. Pepper employed were obviously not really firm in sciences then, at least not those teaching biology.”

“Why that?” Oscar-Kuno's voice had become vivid again, and Marco suppressed a grateful smile, musing about the best way to reassure his pupil and ease the burden that had weighed that heavily upon his mind and his shoulders for almost a year.

“Everyone with eyes in their head can see that Lord Oscar is truly Lord Robert's son, but most people don't take their time to really look at others. Karl, Mr. Pepper and Lord Oscar's classmates and teachers obviously didn't.”

“But Lord Oscar doesn't really look like his father. They don't even share the same eye-color...” Oscar-Kuno objected confused.

“That's normal, Kuno. Brown is dominant when it comes to eye colors. I haven't seen a portrait of Lord Oscar's mother, but if she had had brown eyes or anyone else in her and Lord Robert's family, parents, siblings, grandparents or so, then the chances that the children have brown eyes like Lord Oscar are pretty high. There are three obvious signs that Lord Oscar has every right to call himself a true Lindelborn. The first sign is his mouth. Lord Oscar has the same sensitive lips as his father calls his own.”

Lips Marco longed so desperately to kiss – the lips of Lord Robert of course, not those of his son – but this was really nothing he could tell his young charge.

“Hmm. Mathilda has told me the same... Lord Oscar I mean. She told Lord Oscar that he pouts just like his father when he's sulking.”

Marco chuckled. “Of course, she did. Mathilda is much more attentive when it comes to such things than other people. I haven't seen Lord Lando pouting so far, but I can imagine that he just looks like his son then.”

The 'ghost' snickered a little bit. “And the other two signs?” he asked eagerly, snuggling closer to Marco as he sought comfort and reassurance in his embrace.

Marco stroked the slim back under the sheet. “The second sign is that father and son have the same slender physique. Lord Oscar is of course much smaller, but they share the same figure and the proportions are identical. This won't change and it will become more and more visible when Lord Oscar reaches his adolescence.”

“I see. Karl is too dense to notice something like that, I think.”

“You bet he is, Kuno. He is obviously too busied with torturing other boys to really look at them. The third sign is the most important one. It is what scientists use to explore and corroborate the bloodline of aristocratic families for example.”

Oscar raised his head under the sheet, and Marco could feel him trembling with excitement. “And what is it? How come that you know that much about such things?”

Marco leaned back against the backrest of the armchair and smiled at the 'ghost' in his arms. “I got my first job when I was twenty. I had just finished most of my studies, had only one more year to go, and one of my professors introduced me to a family looking for someone teaching their sons during the summer months. Their mother was the daughter of a Scottish laird, and her father had died a couple of months ago. She was his only child, and she had inherited several manors and even an old castle. The family wanted to spend the summer in Scotland to bring everything in order, and they hired a scientist to compile a pedigree of the family.”

Marco went silent, looking down at his young charge, and Oscar's attentive and much less slumped posture sitting on his knees showed him that the boy was intrigued to learn more about his time in Scotland.

“There was only little information about the former generations, but Professor McAdam found countless portraits of the family members, a lot of them unfortunately without the entire names or dates of their births, but he was a luminary of his profession, and he was able to compile this pedigree for the family.  
I volunteered to assist him in my free time because I was fascinated by this topic and the science of genome, especially patrimony, and he explained everything to me with greatest patience. He told me that every good scientist can recognize family members by their ears. Most people don't really look at the ears of their counterparts, but the form of the ears is one of the best proofs when it comes to recognizing relatives.  
The ears are an unmistakable hereditary trait, and Professor McAdam could tell by the ears of the portrayed ancestors who of them were father and son and so on. Lord Oscar has the same ears like Lord Lando, so he must be his son and his heir, there is no doubt about that left. After my time in Scotland, I found myself staring at everybody's ears for a rather long time, and the first thing I noticed when I saw Lord Oscar standing beside his father on my first day here in Castle Lindelborn was that their ears were identical.”

Oscar-Kuno literally melted against him with relief. “So you don't think that Lord Oscar is a bastard?”

Marco's eyes stung with tears, but he suppressed them and smiled honestly at the small figure under the white sheet.

“Of course, I don't think that. This stupid thought would never have crossed my mind, because it is clear that Lord Robert and Lord Oscar are father and son. Only really stupid people can think otherwise. But even if I didn't know about the ears serving as an unquestionable hereditary trait, I wouldn't think that Lord Robert is not Oscar's father, nor would it matter to me.  
Lord Oscar is a wonderful boy who will grow up to a true lord and gentleman, Kuno. Not your blood makes you a honorable man, but only your behavior and the way you're treating other people. This Karl might be aristocratic by birth as much as Lord Oscar, but he will never become a nobleman or a real gentleman. Lord Oscar will be both when he has grown up, and this would also be the case if his father was a servant or a stable boy. Will you tell him that for me, Kuno? That he doesn't need to worry about not being his father's son or being a bastard any longer? Will you please do that for me?”

The 'ghost' vigorously nodded his head. “I will do that, Mr. Reus, thank you so much. Lord Oscar was really sad, but I know for sure that he will be much happier from now on, and this only because of you and what you said.”

The young lord glided from Marco's knees with newly revived spirits. “I have to hurry now, I want to talk to my friend before the witching hour is over. I need to ease his troubles, I am sure he will sleep much better in the future!”

Marco sensed that Oscar wanted to leave him to keep up his disguise, and he stayed where he was, seated in the armchair where Lord Robert sat when he sought shelter from the world outside. “Just do that, Kuno, I'm sure that you will be able to ease Lord Oscar's mind and the burden he has carried for far too long.”

Oscar-Kuno laughed and almost flew to the door. When he had reached it, he turned around one last time to look at Marco. “You will keep our talk confidential, Mr. Reus like you promised me to do?”

The blond teacher pressed his hand against his heart. “Scout's honor, Kuno.”

“Thank you, Mr. Reus. Lord Oscar and I are so happy that you are here!”

Marco watched the boy leave the tower chamber, staring at the closed door for a rather long time, too worked up to go back to bed, his quietly whispered words the only sound audible for a rather long time.

“I'm happy to be here as well, Oscar, believe, I am really happy about being here too.”

 

***

 

Lord Robert hadn't caught much more sleep after his nightly encounter with Mario, and he had felt tired and had suffered from a bad headache when he had entered the _Lion's Club_ again after a long morning with another meeting with Mr. Götze senior and one of their agents.

He had excused himself for lunch, needing some time alone to think about the last days and sort things out for himself.

The dark-haired earl had felt restless ever since he had left Castle Lindelborn early in the morning a couple of days before, and his worries had become stronger and stronger, especially after last night and Mario's attempt to seduce him

Was it really that obvious that he wasn't interested in women? Robert had always thought that he had hidden his true feelings and his needs better than most of the people he knew were able to hide their secrets and feelings, but he had apparently been wrong with that because Mario must have sensed his confusion and his secret longing for a special blond teacher, mistaking it as an interest Robert had in Mario himself. Mario didn't know about Marco, Robert hadn't bothered to tell his father that his son had a new teacher, but he had probably felt the vibes Robert had sent out and thought that the older man's longing was directed at him.

The Earl of Lindelborn must admit that this might have been the case if Marco hadn't stumbled into his complicated life, Mario was a handsome and attractive young man, and Robert could have been tempted to respond to his desire and come closer to him despite Mario being the son of one of his most important business partners.

But Marco Reus had stumbled into his life, turning Robert's world upside down, and the young earl didn't know what to do anymore and how to keep up appearances for much longer.

“I can see heavy dark clouds hanging over your head even though it is such a bright summer day! I hope that they won't bring rain here in my club because you will have to pay for the needed drying of the furniture and the carpet in case they'll do, Robert.”

Robert raised his head with a slight flinch, being pulled out of his contemplation that unexpectedly.

The owner of the club, Jakub Blaszczykowski, had come to his niche in the corner between the window and the wall, regarding him with thoughtful eyes.

Jakub or Kuba how his friends were allowed to call him sat down on the chair opposite Robert when he had his attention, as the owner of the _Lion's Club,_ he could do that without having to wait for permission.

Apart from that, the older man with the Polish roots was one of Robert's few real friends, and the dark-haired earl actually felt relief that he had someone he could talk to openly, although he tried to not show it too obviously.

“What? Have you not seen to saving some money or getting an insurance for such cases?” Robert quirked an eyebrow at his friend, but Jakub merely snorted at his rather obvious attempt to just joke the topic away.

“I am well prepared for heavy rainfall or damages caused by thunderstorms, Robert. But only for those caused by the weather outside, not for the ones caused by the worries and troubles my customers bring with them when they visit my club.”

The dark-blond club owner waited until one of his young employees had put the tray with a carafe filled with golden liquid and two glasses onto the small table, leaving the niche as quietly as he had approached it again, before the older man regarded Robert with pursed lips and in concern narrowed eyes, jerking his head at the still half filled plate before Robert's chair.

“The last time I checked my cook's dishes, I couldn't find anything that wasn't truly delicious and edible. I might have to test his skills again, just to be sure.”

Robert followed Kuba's reproachful gaze, smiling weakly. “Your cook is a master of his trade, don't you doubt that, my friend. I'm just not really hungry.”

“Hmm, I see. This special medicine here might help you regain your appetite then, my friend.” The older man bent forward to fill the two glasses with the shimmering amber-golden liquid, handing one of the glasses to his aristocratic friend. “Reserved for friends only, I can assure you, Robert. I know that you are one of the few being able to really appreciate and enjoy this cognac. It will also chase the dark clouds away before they will pour cold rain down on us.”

Robert looked at the glass in his hand before smiling at the club owner. “I trust you with that, Kuba, cheers!” He sipped from the strong alcohol, enjoying the slight burn in his throat when he swallowed it down. The drink warmed him as much as the understanding in his friend's eyes and much more than the bright summer sun had warmed him on this summer day so far.

“Cheers.” Kuba watched him drink, turning his own glass in his hands without sipping from the cognac. “You know that I am a good listener, Robert, don't you?”

The young earl sighed and leaned back in his chair, relaxing for the first time since he had woken up from his dream just to find a half naked Mario in his bed. His shoulders and his jaw hurt from being tensed all day, but the cognac eased the pain in his cramped muscles, and Robert felt the strong urge to talk about his worries with his friend. He knew that Kuba would keep everything confidential, his club wouldn't be as successful as it was if he couldn't keep the secrets the club members coming here told him.

Robert didn't know how much the dark-blond Pole knew about the men spending a rather large amount of their time in his club, but he was sure that he knew most of the secrets of his clients, his knowledge about those secrets also coming in handy if one of the gamblers tried to cause trouble after having lost again for example.

“Shared burdens normally become much lighter burdens, Robert as well,” Jakub added when the earl still hesitated, a truth Robert couldn't deny.

“You're right with that.” Robert took another sip, quickly checking the blue room where he had withdrawn to be alone. The younger club members normally came later in the afternoon, and the beige and the blue room were less crowded than the red room and the green room on the upper floor at this time of the day. Four young men stood around the billiard table, but they weren't within earshot, and the dark-haired earl took a deep breath and started to talk, telling Kuba what had happened since he had had to take his son from the Berwartstein. He left his encounter with Mario out for understandable reasons, but he retold his ruined dinner with Marco, looking at his friend for help when he had finished his story.

“I think I understand why you felt offended at first, Robert, but you should actually be glad that this young teacher obviously cares so much about Oscar. I have gotten the impression from what you told me that the other teachers before Mr. Reus didn't care about your sweet son at all,” Jakub finally said, playing absentmindedly with the glass in his hand. It was still full, the dark-blond club owner taking only tiny sips from it.

Robert stared down at the leftovers on his plate, his bad conscience about his harsh reaction to Marco's hurtful but honest words rising to the surface again.

“I expect you to empty that plate, my friend. My cook will have my head on a silver platter if you won't.”

The young earl grimaced but obeyed, taking a cautious bite from the now cold meat. It tasted delicious even cold, and when Jakub shot him a strict look, he resigned himself to his fate and started to eat.

“You should go back home and bring things back in order with your son, Robert. You have been running away from everything for far too long. Oscar needs you, and you won't feel better until you've talked to him. The same goes for your problems with this handsome blond teacher, I guess. Marco Reus has gotten under your skin, and you should be with them instead of looking for the best way to ignore how much Oscar suffers.”

Robert swallowed, scowling at his friend. “I didn't run away, I'm on a business trip!”

Jakub leaned back in his seat, returning Robert's heated glance unimpressed. “Yes, of course, Robert. A business trip that could easily have waited for a little bit longer. Mr. Reus just joined your household not even two weeks ago, and you decided to leave him alone with your son after only one week even though you knew how Oscar had behaved towards his former teachers. Who do you want to fool? Your business is in the best hands possible with Mr. Götze here in Mannheim and Lukasz in Hamburg.”

Jakub Blaszczykowski must know that, he knew Robert's manager in Hamburg better than anyone else. Jakub had been the one introducing Lukasz to him, and Robert had never regretted that he had put his trust in him. Jakub and Robert had actually never really talked about their most private lives except for some hints, but the reason why the club owner understood the dark-haired earl that well was that he shared Robert's secret desires, finding only real pleasure and satisfaction in the arms of another man himself.

Robert suspected that Jakub and Lukasz were more than just friends, but he was fine with that and didn't feel the need to ask his friend about it. The young earl put his empty plate back onto the table, smiling at the older man.

“Would you do me a favor, Kuba?” he asked quietly, and the dark-blond nodded. “Of course, Robert.”

“Would you send a letter to Mr. Piszczek for me? I need to give him some instructions for the next shipment, and I would feel better knowing that you will send the letter to Hamburg instead of Mr. Götze. I don't want to bother him, and I don't want to strain his hospitality for longer than necessary.”

A brief, knowing smile flickered over Jakub's features. “Mr. Mario Götze is a very – hmm – passionate young man, isn't he?” he asked, and Robert couldn't keep the heartfelt groan inside. “Yes, he is.”

Jakub finally emptied his glass. “I will see to you getting paper and a pencil, Robert. I wanted to go to Hamburg tomorrow anyway, I will make sure that your letter will reach Lukasz as fast as possible, my friend.”

“Thank you, Kuba.” Robert watched the club owner rise to his feet, accepting his firm handshake before Blaszczykowski went to leave him alone. He closed his eyes for a moment as the tension left his body and his muscles uncramped for the first time since he had left Castle Lindelborn to flee from his son and the young teacher who had gotten under his skin right at first sight.

Tomorrow, he would return to his home and talk to Marco, hoping that they would find a way to help his sweet little son together. Today, he would finish his business here in Mannheim and try his best to keep Mario Götze at arm's length as long as he stayed in his father's villa. A sudden thought crossed his mind, and he opened his eyes again to watch the four young men still busied with their game.

Robert, Earl of Lindelborn regarded one of them thoughtfully, a young man with blond hair and a beard, and he slowly stood up and left his niche to join the younger men at the table, smiling at the blond.

“Mr. Schürrle, if I remember correctly? Mr. André Schürrle? You are a friend of Mario Götze, aren't you?”

The blond nodded his head, the four of them clearly overwhelmed that the well-known Earl of Lindelborn gifted them with their attention, gaping at the dark-haired aristocrat with admiration.

Robert took one of the cue sticks, suppressing his contented smile only with effort. He had met Mr. Schürrle junior a couple of months ago during his last visit in Mannheim, and the way the young man had looked at Mario hadn't gone by unnoticed. Robert bared his teeth to a polite and yet predatory smile, offering his hand to the stunned blond.

“I'm pleased to meet you here in the _Lion's Club_ , Mr. Schürrle, Mr. Götze's younger son Mario talked about you the other day. May I join your game...?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So you know that Oscar is really Lord Robert's son. :-) I could never do that to my sweet Oscar, but things like these probably happened oftentimes during the last centuries.  
> Marco's explanation is actually true, in former times, when the DNA-testing didn't exist, the ears and their forms were used as an evidence to affirm family relationships and biological fatherhood, and this kind of testing still works surprisingly well.  
> I couldn't resist to give Kuba a bigger role in this fic, I love him so much, and he shows up in this fandom far too rarely for my liking. Mario being so sad broke my heart, so Robert needed to find someone for him. I don't know whether or not Mario and André will show up again, but they will at least be mentioned as a happy couple at the end of this fic, so you don't really need to worry about Mario any longer. :-)


	10. The Lord's Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert returns to Castle Lindelborn after spending an awful day trapped in his carriage, just to find out that Marco has left his son alone to go to the summer ball.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear pinkquill22, your comment under Liberalia saved my day ysterday like your wonderful comments have made my days so much brighter over the past few months, and knowing how much you like this story, I spent my day with writing this chapter to give you something back for what you have done for me. I also decided to gift this story to you as well, because you have become one of my few biggest supporters and because you like this story that much. <33
> 
> Dear eafay70, you are always among the first to comment on those stories of mine you read, especially this one, and your constant support and loyalty means so much to me. Therefore, I added you to the giftees of this story as well. Thank you so much for your lovely comments. <33
> 
> My dear readers, I once again got another hurtful and upsetting comment under one of my stories, the last chapter of Liberalia, and I must admit that I really grow tired of it. I don't want having to moderate the comments under each and every of my stories, and such incidents only confirm my impression that I am not longer wanted here in the football fandom. I'm not sure why people feel the need to leave hurtful comments and false accusations under my stories that are only meant to entertain you and provide you with some carefree moments, I'm not making any profit with them, and I spend a considerable amount of my rare free time with writing for you. I really think that I don't deserve this hate and the silence I am 'rewarded' with for most of my stories, and I am not sure how much longer I can take that. My life is hard and straining enough without it. <33

The row of houses passed by in a maddening slow pace, and Robert sitting trapped in his carriage suppressed a curse when he checked his pocket watch for the fifth time within the last five minutes and his vehicle had made only felt ten more meters in the same amount of time.

The young lord had gotten up early to prepare everything for his return to Castle Lindelborn, eager to go back to his home and talk to the blond teacher he had tried to ban from his thoughts over the past days that unsuccessfully, hoping that he might be able to fix what he had broken between his sweet son and himself with Marco's help.

Mr. Götze senior had clearly been disappointed that Robert refused to stay his guest for longer, and Mario's furtive glances had been the looks of a deadly wounded animal gazing at its owner in the vain hope that its human caretaker would be able to save it. Mario's pleading brown eyes had affected Robert more than he had thought they would, and he had felt like choking for the entire terribly long breakfast, not daring to return the younger one's gaze without getting both of them into trouble in front of Mario's strict father.

André Schürrle had promised him to visit young Mr. Götze today, all to happy about Robert's reassurance that Mario valued his friendship highly and spoke greatly about him, and the dark-haired earl hoped with all his heart that the blond would heal Mario's broken heart and give him what he craved for and which Robert couldn't give him because his heart belonged to someone else - someone who dared to tell him off for the sake of his son and who called handsome, male features, red-blond hair and beautiful amber-green eyes his own.

Robert's carriage stopped abruptly again and the young aristocrat almost fell from his seat, muttering some unpleasant words under his breath. He suppressed a pained groan and leaned out of the small window to ask his carter Sven what it was keeping them from leaving Mannheim as fast as possible this time. The sun was already burning down on the black top of the chaise and the air in the comfortable but tight interior was hot and sticky. Robert craved for the fresh breeze of his home, and he wanted to leave the crowded city so badly that it was driving him crazy.

“Why did we have to stop this time, Sven?” Robert tried to keep his anger and impatience out of his voice because his faithful carter surely wasn't responsible for the delay, and Robert always tried to treat his servants the way they deserved it, with respect and friendliness. Sven looked over his shoulder with an apologetic expression in his eyes.

“I'm sorry, my lord, but two of the carriages in front of us had an accident, and their carters are obviously more interested in yelling insults at one another instead of seeing to opening the way for the other road users.”

“I see. There is no need for you to be sorry, Sven, it isn't your fault,” Robert replied with a heartfelt sigh, and the blond carter pulled a face. “Thank you, my lord. I really wished that I could accelerate our travel.”

Robert looked around and pursed his lips when his gaze fell upon the small side road to their right. “There is a small road to the right. But there is probably not enough space left to turn the carriage and use it?” he mused, raising his voice to a question at the end of the sentence.

His carter narrowed his eyes as he measured the small street and the space between the other coaches before and behind their own chaise. “I must have been blind that I didn't notice this street beforehand, Lord Robert,” he then apologized with a huge grin plastered all over his face. “I even know this street and where it will end, we will reach Ludwigshafen much faster this way.”

Robert craned his neck to return Sven's smile. “Do you really think that you will manage to turn our carriage here on this rather small spot to take the abbreviation?”

The blond man looked offended. “You hired the best, my lord, of course I can do that!” he snorted, and Robert chuckled and relaxed for the first time since he had left Kuba's peaceful establishment the previous day.

“I hoped that you would say that, Sven. I didn't mean to question your skills. If you'll manage to bring us out of here and back home before the sun goes down, then you'll get a long weekend off as a reward,” Robert said, and the younger man smiled at him.

“You're too kind, Lord Robert. Seeing you smile and being able to get home before the sun goes down will be reward enough for me though,” he gave back, and Robert felt warmth pooling in his stomach at his servant's honest words.

“I know that it has been a rather long time since you could last visit your family and spend time with your brother, Sven, it is about time for you to do that again. Working together with your brother is not the same as spending some quality time with your twin is, and your parents will surely be happy to have their two sons at home for once.”

Sven's cheerful grin turned into a happy and grateful smile. “Thank you, my lord. I will do my very best to bring us back to Castle Lindelborn as fast and safe as only possible.”

“I know, Sven. You're always doing more than your best, just like your brother Lars.” Robert leaned back into his seat and closed his eyes when his carter started to turn the carriage with great skills, and it didn't take long until the hooves of his two strong and beautiful fox-colored cart horses clip-clopped on the cobbled paving of Mannheim's streets again as their chaise headed back towards their home - which were the red rocks and thick green forests of the most beautiful place in this world in Robert's opinion - his beloved home called the Pfälzer Forest with its proud castles and ruins.

His home that was almost a magical place where the past seemed to be still alive sometimes, and where legends and miracles might come true if you only believed firmly enough in them.

 

***

 

The day of the summer ball had dawned with the promise of becoming warm and sunny, and Marco had to admit that he was starting to look forward to the ball. He really loved spending his time with his pupil and friend Oscar, but the prospect of going out and forget the worries about Oscar's complicated relationship to his father and just have some stupid fun for a couple of hours was too tempting to ignore it.

The young lord didn't have classes on Saturdays and Sundays, and Marco had used the previous Saturday to prepare his lessons and the things he wanted to teach Lord Oscar, but he found himself unable to concentrate on anything for more than perhaps five minutes. His thoughts circled around what Kuno-Oscar had told him about his experiences in the Berwartstein, and the blond teacher desperately tried to find a way to talk to the handsome earl with the piercing blue eyes and the dark hair without giving Oscar's secret away.

Marco had promised the boy to not reveal his secret, and he wouldn't do that, but there had to be a way to open Lord Robert's eyes and make him realize what he was doing to his sweet son. They had to talk to each other and come closer again because Oscar needed his father's love and approval more than anything, and it broke Marco's heart to see the sad eyes of the small boy whenever his father turned his back on him.

The young teacher finally gave up his fruitless attempts to focus on his books and decided to pick Oscar up and take a walk with him instead. The sun was shining and a fresh breeze made the summer heat bearable, and taking a walk to explore the surroundings of the proud castle that had become his home within only two weeks seemed to be much more tempting than spending his time bent over his books.

Oscar squealed with joy when Marco entered his room, just like the blond had hoped he would. The boy sat on the floor, his tin soldiers lying forgotten next to him, while his eyes had been staring out of the window with a wistful expression when Marco had opened the door.

“Good morning, Lord Oscar. I hope you slept well,” Marco greeted him with a smile, and the young boy jumped to his feet and rushed to him, wrapping his arms around Marco's waist.

“Good morning, Mr. Reus! I slept well, thank you! How about you? Did Kuno visit you? He promised me that he would show you around in our castle.” Oscar peered up at him from under his thick eyelashes, and he nervously chewed on his bottom lip, apparently afraid that his teacher would mention his talk with his ghostly visitor.

Marco stroked his unruly brown hair and smiled down at him. “Oh yes, Kuno kept his promise and visited me to show me the dungeon. I will be well-prepared in case that one of your former teachers will dare to come here again thanks to Kuno. It was nice to spook around myself a little bit, and we had a great time together,” he explained with a wink of his eye and Oscar relaxed and beamed at his teacher.

“I'm glad to hear that, Mr. Reus. Kuno gave me his word that he wouldn't try to scare you away and that he wants to be your friend as well.”

Marco nodded sincerely. “I do believe that Kuno and I have become true friends, Lord Oscar, and we both care about your well-being – which brings me to the reason why I came here.”

Oscar tensed up again, and Marco hastened to continue to not give him the impression that he couldn't keep his secrets confidential. “It is such a beautiful summer day and I thought that we could take a walk outside and look for some stones and leaves. I would like us to make our own book about the landscape near Castle Lindelborn, its geology, plants and animals. What do you think, Lord Oscar, would you like to do that with me? We could take our notepads with us to draw the animals, rocks and trees we'll find on our way and collect leaves to press them and glue to some of the pages.”

His pupil literally glowed with excitement. “I would love to do that, Mr. Reus! Our own book about Castle Lindelborn! Perhaps we could even include the history of it together with a pedigree of my ancestors?” Oscar asked with a shout of joy, and Marco gratefully noticed the wonderful pink that colored Oscar's former pale cheeks.

“That's a wonderful idea, Lord Oscar. I am sure that Mathilda will prepare a picnic for us, we wouldn't need to return to the castle for lunch then.”

No sooner said than done, Marco and Oscar packed their bags with the notepads and pencils they would need for their drawings, and Mathilda handed them a basket overloaded with deliciously smelling food. Big straw hats protected them from getting a sunburn, and the unlikely couple left the proud walls of the old castle with fast strides and a cheerful melody on their lips.

The day was beautiful and promised to be a good day, and Marco was determined to make the best out of it before he would have to entrust Oscar to Mathilda's and Sebastian's care for the night. Oscar needed him even more as long as his father wasn't there to take care of him and spend some time with his son, and Marco wouldn't let him down but do his best to give the boy what he needed and let him be just a carefree young boy for at least a little while.

 

***

 

Marco and Oscar had spent a wonderful day with the exploration of the surroundings of Castle Lindelborn, collecting leaves and pebbles and drawing the insects and other animals they had found in the small slits and caves between the rocks of the red sandstone or on the meadows and sandy paths. Oscar had drawn two salamanders taking a sunbath, crouching next to them on the hard stone for more than half an hour without complaining, and Marco's honest praise about his pictures had made the boy's hazel eyes sparkle with pure bliss.

The food basket had been empty when they had come back to Castle Lindelborn later in the afternoon, while their bags had been filled with pebbles, twigs and leaves.

Sebastian had waited for them at the front door and smiled at Marco before wrapping his arm around Oscar's small shoulders to bring him back to his rooms.

“Thank you so much for our wonderful day, Mr. Reus, I enjoyed it so much!” Oscar thanked his teacher with a smile. His cheeks were still glowing pink and his eyes were shining with utter happiness, and Marco felt a strong wave of fatherly love surging through him. How much he wished that Oscar would be more than only his pupil, allowed to call him by his first name instead of having to address him with 'Mr. Reus' the entire time.

“I enjoyed our day as much as you did, Lord Oscar,” he said hoarsely, crouching down before him to stroke his cheek. “I'm sorry that I won't be there tonight to read the next chapter of our book to you.”

The young lord vigorously shook his head. “Oh no, please don't be sorry, Mr. Reus. I really, really want you to go to the summer ball and enjoy yourself there. I don't mind having to wait for the next chapter for one more day, it will only boost my anticipation. Plus, Helena and Jenny need a gentleman and strong protector by their side tonight, and you are the best for this responsible job!”

Marco felt himself blushing, but he couldn't help but feel flattered. “Oh wow, thank you, Lord Oscar, you're too kind. I will fulfill my job with greatest care and not disappoint your trust in me then.”

“I know that you would never do that, Mr. Reus.” Oscar nodded graciously like a true nobleman before turning around and storming into the castle like the little rascal he actually still was, and Marco and Sebastian watched him run away with a chuckle and an amused shake of their heads.

“We're so glad that you are here, Marco, I can't even tell you. You're doing Lord Oscar a world of good,” Sebastian said, climbing the few steps to enter the hallway and follow the young lord inside the belly of the mighty castle.

Marco sighed and swallowed, staying where he was to enjoy the warm sun for a few more seconds. “I am glad to be here as well, Sebastian,” he murmured, watching the blond butler follow the boy along the long corridor until both were out of sight.

 

***

 

Sven had kept his promise and brought them out of Mannheim as fast as he had been able to with using the small side streets where the horses couldn't trot and only go at a walk. Their luck had run out when they had reached the border to the Pfälzer Forest, one of the horses losing its horseshoe. The next farriery had been more than five kilometers away, and when they had reached it, they had had to wait for more than half an hour until the farrier had come back from another job to make a new horseshoe for them.

Therefore, the sun was already hanging deep over the horizon like a big deep-red glowing ball when they finally reached the base of the mountain where Castle Lindelborn was sitting enthroned on top of it.

Robert was only a nervous wreck at this point, and he almost jumped out of the carriage before Sven had even stopped it, taking two steps of the perron at once and pushing forcefully against the wooden portal to enter his castle like a knight in shining armor would probably have done in former times to save a young lady from the dangerous dragon.

“Lord Robert! We didn't expect you back that soon!” Lars, Sven's identical twin, stammered when he saw his employer banging the door and rushing into the hallway like a whirlwind. The blond servant saw to Robert's correspondence and was Sebastian's helping hand, but Robert was surprised to find him in the hallway instead of his butler.

“Lars, where is Sebastian?” Robert inquired impatiently without explaining the reason for his sudden and unexpected return.

His secretary frowned and chewed on his lip, obviously searching for the right words. “He's putting Lord Oscar to put, my lord,” he finally admitted, eyeing his employer cautiously.

Robert frowned. His son was old enough to put himself to bed and apart from that, he had ordered Marco Reus to see to his son because Oscar was too old to still have a nurse in his opinion. Judging by the behavior the young teacher had shown during their dinner, telling Robert off for neglecting his son like the blond had done it, the dark-haired earl had expected him to fulfill his duties with more excitement and care.

As it seemed, the blond had only waited for him to leave Castle Lindelborn to neglect his job himself, and Robert felt the sharp sting of disappointment cutting right through his stupid heart. It was clear to him now that he had misjudged the young teacher, lured into false security by his ardent words about Oscar, and the young lord balled his fists and narrowed his eyes.

“And where is Mr. Reus, Lord Oscar's teacher? I gave him the order to do that during my absence, and I would really like to know where Mr. Reus is and the reason why he left my son to his own devices and forced Sebastian to do his job!”

Lars paled, staring at Robert with big eyes and a stupid expression on his face. “Marco – Mr. Reus - left Castle Lindelborn about one and half an hour ago to go to the summer ball together with Miss Helena and Miss Jenny, my lord...” he mumbled, taken aback by the hot ire he could see in Robert's eyes.

“He did _what_?” Robert growled furiously, feeling betrayed in a way he shouldn't feel when it came to the teacher of his son. But Marco had become so much more to him than only another employee, and Robert had hoped that they would come closer and become friends – perhaps even more than just friends.

Yet, Marco Reus had betrayed his trust like all of his predecessors, he had left his sweet son alone to go out and enjoy himself with two young women Robert felt responsible for, and the young earl growled again and turned around on his heels to storm out of the castle and go after the blond teacher and drag him back to his duties by his collar.

“My lord, please wait, it isn't as it looks like... Lord Oscar wanted him to go there...” Lars called after him, but Robert was too furious to listen to him.

Robert Lando, Earl of Lindelborn ran down the stairs and headed along the steep path that led to the pub where the summer ball took place with single-minded determination, blind and deaf to his surroundings and Lars and Sven shouting after him to keep him from what he was about to do.

Marco Reus would never betray his trust and lie to him again, and the blond teacher would pay for what he had done to him, Robert would see to that.


	11. The Summer Ball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert came back earlier than expected, and he's just learned that Marco has gone to the sunmer ball. What will happen when the earl goes after Marco? Will he listen to Marco's explanation or will they fight again?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promsied to hurry with the next chapter of this story and I managed to write it today because I left work earlier because of a mild sickness. I am not sure about this chapter though, the end is like the plot demands it, but I am pretty unsure whether or not it will be to your liking or if it is as bad as I fear it is. 
> 
> The feedback to the last chapter of this story was wonderful, but I must admit that I am dismayed, sad and disappointed about the reactions or better the lack of them to the last chapter of Castle Nights I posted yesterday. It has gotten only one single kudo for more than 100 hits so far, and I must say that it hurt me pretty much. I really didn't think that it was so bad that it didn't deserve any visible love except for the comments of my most faithful readers, and it affected my mood and my writing today more than I would have thought it possible.
> 
> I hope that this chapter here will be more to your liking, I'm always giving my best to provide you with enjoyable stories and updates. <33

Marco still had a bad conscience when he left the castle one hour later together with Helena and Jenny. He had washed away the dust and the dirt from his face and his hands and shaved carefully, catching himself daydreaming about visiting the summer ball in the inn settled at the base of the mountain together with the handsome lord who had captured his heart right at first sight.

What would it be like to dance with the earl who looked so melancholy and wistfully when he thought that no one would notice it? What would it be like to feel Robert's arms around him and see the charismatic and mysterious lord smiling at him with love and desire in his eyes?

The blond teacher of course knew that his dreams were pointless and only wishful thinking, but he simply couldn't stop longing for Lord Robert's approval and affection, no matter how hard he tried to see the dark-haired aristocrat as his employer only.

Marco had chosen the same clothes he had dressed with for the dinner with Lord Robert that had gone so terribly wrong at the end. He didn't wear them because he wanted to impress the young women visiting the ball, but because he knew that he had to keep up appearances as Lord Oscar's teacher and for the simple reason that he didn't really have much clothes to choose from. The young tutor had always considered books and the equipment he needed for his lessons as much more important than clothes, and he used most of the money he earned for such things instead for suits and jewelry. He had inherited a golden pocket watch from his grandfather and kept it dear and close to his heart, but this was the only luxury he really cared about except for the two pairs of shoes and boots of high quality he needed for his long walks.

Helena's and Jenny's approving glances assured him that he was not that bad to look at, but Robert's brief but visible admiring glance when he had seen him dressed like this had meant much more to him.

“Where are Erik and Nuri?” he asked to distract himself from his stupid thoughts as they made their way downwards on the steep path that wound itself along the hill, and Helena smiled at him when he grabbed her elbow to keep her from stumbling over a hidden root.

“Thank you, Marco. Erik and Nuri have already left two hours ago, they had promised to help with the tables and the benches. Manuel, the innkeeper of the Cramerhaus, broke his foot three months ago, and he is still not back to full health.”

Marco nodded. “I see. So we will meet them there,” he said, and Jenny snickered. “I don't think that we will see much of them. Erik and Nuri will surely disappear somewhere more privately sooner rather than later,” she stated, eyeing Marco from the side. “You don't look surprised,” she poked him, ignoring Helena's warning glance.

The blond teacher returned Jenny's curious gaze with an impassive look. “Should I be surprised about anything?” he retorted with a raised blond eyebrow.

Jenny shrugged. “Probably not. You are very attentive, Marco. Much more than most other people I've met so far.”

Marco mirrored her gesture by shrugging his own shoulders. “That's part of my job,” he said, hoping that the young maidservant would let go of the dangerous topic. He was rather sure that all servants of Castle Lindelborn knew about Erik's and Nuri's secret relationship and approved it, but he wasn't so sure about how they would react if they learned that the new teacher of their beloved Lord Oscar had a crush on his father. Mathilda and Sebastian most likely suspected something, but Marco wasn't ready to talk about his feelings with anyone at the moment, and he was grateful when they reached the neat inn and were welcomed instantly by the tall and friendly looking innkeeper.

“I am Manuel Neuer, the owner of the Cramerhaus. I am pleased to meet you, sir,” the dark-blond introduced himself, and Marco shook his hand and returned his smile.

“Thank you, Mr. Neuer, I am pleased to make your acquaintance as well. Please call me Marco and not 'sir',” he returned the greeting, “I am just a simple teacher.”

Manuel chuckled. “Much more than a simple teacher as I have heard. No other teacher was ever able to win Lord Oscar's approval and trust so far. Erik and Nuri confirmed what Sebastian told me the last time he came here a couple of days ago, praising your skills and your way of winning the boy's heart over the moon.”

Marco suppressed a sigh. He should have expected that people would talk about him, but he had pushed these thoughts back into the farthest corner of his mind, and Manuel's words reminded him why he had been so reluctant to visit the summer ball in the first place.

But he couldn't back away now, and Marco took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders, determined to make the best out of this evening and fulfill the promise he had made to Oscar. He would see to Helena and Jenny having fun and protect them from unwanted attention, just like the real gentleman Oscar thought him to be. His duties had always come first for Marco and so he followed the innkeeper and the two young women to the benches where Erik and Nuri were already sitting, trying to ignore the bad feeling pooling in his stomach.

Lord Robert was far away and didn't know about his visit of the summer ball, and Marco would endure the evening with the appropriate demeanor, even though he already found himself counting the minutes until he could go back to Castle Lindelborn, the place that had become his new real home because of a sweet young boy and his fascinating father, the two human beings Marco cared more about than about his own life.

 

***

 

The evening turned out to be not as bad and annoying as Marco had thought it would be, and when about one hour after their arrival had passed, he even started to enjoy himself.

The blond teacher had danced with Helena, Jenny and two sisters who came from one of the villages nearby. He had mostly talked about his profession with them, both girls truly interested in what he had to tell. The older one, a young woman with wild red curls had admitted that she wanted to become a teacher herself and that maths and physics fascinated her, and Marco had promised her to borrow her some of his books. He wanted to bring them to the Cramerhaus on his next free day where she could pick them up, and Marco brought Susanna back to her table after their dance and talked to her for a while longer before excusing himself to dance with Helena again.

“You seem to enjoy yourself. I must admit that I am glad about it, you looked pretty uncomfortable when we arrived here,” she stated when they hopped and whirled over the wooden dance floor together with the other couples visiting the ball, looking up at him with a smile on her face.

Marco could feel his cheeks turning red. “Was it really that obvious?” he asked the blonde maidservant, and Helena patted his shoulder. “Not to everyone, Marco. But I think that I have learned to read your face a little bit over the past days. It's understandable that you'd rather have stayed with Lord Oscar, but he was right to tell you to go. You need to find some friends if you want to feel at home here, and you really needed some time off and being among other people again for one evening. No one will think that you are neglecting your duties, Marco. It's clear to see how much you care about our young lord.”

Marco sighed, but he felt relieved and returned Helena's honest smile. “I hope so. You were right, my dear, I'm enjoying myself much more than I thought I would. The Pfälzer are friendly and kind, open-minded people, at least those I've met so far, and it might be a good thing to get to know them better.”

The music ended and Marco took Helena's hand and guided her back to the bench under the thick tree where they could watch the dancers. “I'll grab us something to drink,” he said, quickly scanning their surroundings to see where Jenny was. He relaxed when he saw the younger maid dancing with Erik, watched with eagle eyes by the dark-haired equerry, who leaned against the railing enclosing the dance floor. Nuri sipped from his beer from time to time, his eyes never leaving his secret lover. Marco felt sorry for the young couple, it was apparent how much Nuri longed to dance with the handsome brunet he was deeply in love with, but he would have to wait until it would be dark and the visitors of the ball to drunk to really care about two – probably not drunk but faking to be – young men dancing with each other.

Manuel handed him two glasses with a light red wine when he came to the counter, following Marco's eyes to the lonesome watcher. “It's hard for Erik and Nuri sometimes,” the innkeeper mused, “but it would be much harder for them if they were living somewhere much more crowded. People tend to believe that living in a big city means more freedom, but this is not always true. The Pfälzer Wald is a good place to live your life undisturbed and without being watched the entire time. The forest is large and grants you privacy, and as long as no one gets hurt, the Pfälzer care about their own business only and leave others alone.”

Marco took the glasses with a nod. “You might be right with that, Manuel. I already feel at home here, even though I grew up in Dortmund. It's good that Erik and Nuri have friends like you, friends standing beside them and not judging them for their feelings.”

The dark-blond pursed his lips, and his eyes appraised Marco with a mixture of mockery, understanding and approval. “They have you as their friends as well, so I am not the only one. I appreciate it that you didn't try to act surprised or oblivious.”

The blond teacher snorted, returning Manuel's gaze openly. “You wouldn't have believed me anyway if I had tried to appear ignorant. So where would have been the point in trying to do that?”

Manuel patted his arm. “It's good that you are here, Marco. Our lord really needs you.”

“Which one? The older lord or the younger one?” Marco asked quietly, but Manuel had already turned around to serve a snickering young couple, leaving it up to Marco to find the answer to his question himself.

 

***

 

Marco had carried the glasses to the place where Helena was waiting for him, and when he came back, he found Jenny sitting beside her blonde colleague as well. The younger woman clung to a rather big mug and giggled about something Helena had said to her, and she beckoned Marco to sit down on the bench between them when she saw him.

“Marco, have a seat! You remember what Lord Oscar ordered you to do, don't you?” she snickered, and Marco sat down, craning his neck to look into her mug.

Jenny scowled offended at him, waving her mug through the air. “I'm not drunk, Marco. It's only lemonade. You must taste it. Manuel's citron lemonade is the best in the entire region. I'm just dizzy from Erik whirling me around as if I was one of those tops for children.”

The blond teacher handed Helena her glass of wine. “I see. He's a good dancer, much better than I am.” Marco knew that dancing didn't belong to his biggest skills, but he had always been fine with that until he had met a certain aristocrat who was gifted with a natural grace that still stunned him. Now he wished that he would have payed more attention to his dancing lessons, even though this was of course a stupid thought because Robert would never dance with him.

“You will learn, Marco. Mathilda, Helena and I will teach you, so you won't put Lord Lando to shame!” Jenny giggled, and Marco blushed again, taking a rather large gulp from his wine to hide his embarrassment.

The young woman seemed to sense his discomfort, because she became serious and looked in Erik's direction. “Yes, he is. Nuri is a real good dancer too. But he only dances with Erik. I have once watched them dancing in the rose-garden when they thought that they were alone. They were so beautiful together, I could have watched them for hours. Erik on the other hand loves to dance and the ball is one of the rare opportunities for him to do that . But he knows that it's hurting Nuri when he dances with some of the girls making goo-goo-eyes at him, so he only dances with Mathilda, Helena and me to not make Nuri sad and jealous.”

Marco sipped from his wine again, unsure what to say to that. He would have preferred to dance with Robert only too, but this was not possible of course, and he suspected that he would feel jealous and hurt like Nuri did if he had to watch the man of his dreams dance with young ladies making goo-goo-eyes at the dark-haired earl as well.

“Where are they?” he asked to distract himself from his inappropriate reaction to the mere thought of dancing with Lord Robert, and Jenny made a vague gesture to the direction of the dark forest. “Searching for a place where Erik can show Nuri that he is the only one he truly cares about, I guess.”

“I see. We should leave them alone then. What about you, Helena, Jenny? Does one of the posh young men here make your hearts beat faster?” Marco teased his two friends, glad that he didn't have to fake interest in one of the female visitors to keep up appearances. He was pretty sure that Helena and Jenny knew about his feelings for their employer, and he smiled gratefully at them when both women winked at him with understanding showing in their eyes.

“You mean one of the 'posh' young men here except for you, Marco?” Jenny teased him, raising her mug in some kind of toast, and Marco chuckled and did the same, happy that he had found real friends here in a place where he wouldn't have expected to find them at all. Friends who accepted him the way he was without question, something that didn't happen oftentimes and was one of the most precious things in every human being's life.

 

***

 

Robert was still fuming with rage when he reached the base of the mountain totally out of breath, the noises coming from the Cramerhaus, music, laughter and the sounds of clinking glasses and bottles fueling his anger until he thought that he would explode the next second.

Sweat was dripping from his forehead and his hair was hopelessly tousled, but Robert didn't care about the way he must look like, the only thing he cared about was to find the blond teacher haunting him in his dreams at night and in his thoughts during the days, to tear him away from all those pretty girls fluttering their eyelashes at him to lure the man Robert longed for so badly into their silky spiderwebs.

A low growl escaped his lips as he searched his way through the crowd, ignoring the stunned glances and the furtively whispered “ahs!” and “ohs!” and noisy questions from the other visitors. Robert knew most of the villagers living in one of the settlements close to his castle, but he had never visited the summer ball ever since he had been eighteen, and he hardly ever came to the Cramerhaus to enjoy a drink and talk to his neighbors.

Some of the younger men tried to step in his way and talk to him, but Robert didn't even look at them and after two or three fruitless attempts, the other guests formed a small alley for him, watching him stride to the bench where Marco Reus was sitting together with two of his servants, laughing about something his younger maidservant Jenny had said.

Marco looked so handsome in his clothes, the same clothes he had worn for their dinner as Robert noticed with jealousy, dismay and hurt, some strands of his former surely neatly arranged quiff falling into his ceaseless forehead and caressing the smooth pale skin. Robert's fingers itched to do the same and he balled his hands to tight fists to keep himself from touching the blond teacher.

The younger man was obviously enjoying himself, his cheeks flushed from his dancing, the wine and the attention Helena and Jenny hanging at his lips when he talked gifted him with, and a strangled groan forced its way through Robert's gritted teeth, a sound that finally drew Marco's attention and made him look up. His eyes widened with shock and dismay, and Robert bared his teeth and growled again.

The impudent teacher was right to feel dismayed, how could Marco dare to merely think of leaving the place where he belonged – Robert's castle... their castle – to flirt with some stupid girls who would only break his heart?

How could Marco dare to leave his pupil – Robert's sweet son Oscar – alone and care about his own desires instead?

How could he dare to look so happy – those wonderful amber-green depths Robert simply couldn't forget – sparkling with joy and mischief and those sensitive red lips curling into this unique lopsided smile as he bent forward to whisper something into Helena's ear?

Robert's mind was clouded with rage and ire and he stared down at Marco with the coldest expression he could muster, watching the sparks of joy and mischief fade and the crooked smile vanish as they measured each other with fierce glances.

Marco rose to his feet after a couple of seconds, greeting his employer with a short bow. “Mylord Lando. We didn't expect you back so soon,” he said, his husky voice betraying his bad conscience.

Helena and Jenny had almost jumped to their feet as well, standing very close to Marco as if they wanted to protect him from their lord's fury. The crowd had gone silent, even the music had stopped, and everyone seemed to be holding their breath, even the animals in the thick forest surrounding the inn didn't dare to make the tiniest noises.

The dark-haired earl felt countless pairs of eyes upon his figure, but he was blind and deaf for anything else than the handsome blond teacher standing before him with his chin raised defiantly, returning his gaze with angrily narrowed eyes.

Robert felt another sharp sting of hurt and jealousy cutting right through him when he saw Jenny and Helena unconsciously laying their hands on Marco's arms in a protective gesture, and his own voice was as impassive as his snow-white features were, his deep blue eyes glowing dangerously in the stern mask his face had become, a face that could have been the face of a chiseled marble statue.

“Yes, I can see that you didn't expect me coming back so soon. How could you dare leaving my son alone to delight in such vain and trivial pleasures! How could you dare betraying my trust in you like that! You will go back to the castle and pack your things! You are fired, you'll be leaving Castle Lindelborn tomorrow early in the morning. I never wish to see you again, Mr. Reus!”

With these words, the Earl of Lindelborn turned around and went back to where he had come from with fast and powerful strides, climbing the steep path that led to his castle without shooting one last glance back at Marco - who stared after him with a rather stupid expression and his mouth hanging open in shocked disbelief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, but there is more drama about to come, I hope you will yet stay with me and my boys. :-(


	12. You Can't Do That!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert has fired Marco in front of the visitors of the summer ball, and now he is making his way back to the castle to go to his son. What will happen when he tells Oscar that Marco will leave Castle Lindelborn the next day?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter wrote itself within two hours with short breaks, I had this scene so clear in my mind ever since the idea to this story came into my mind and I still thought it would be a oneshot...  
> I hope that you won't hate me and my poor Robert too much after reading it. Unfortunately, things will get worse before they will get better, but if it is any consolation for you, there will be a lot of Marco/Robert-interaction from the next chapter on. This chapter has finally the long awaited interaction between father and son, even though it is not a happy conversation...  
> The chapter title is the title of an old song even The Beatles have once sung, I remembered it when I searched for a good title.
> 
> Thank you so very much for all the feedback you're gifting this story with, it means so much to me. Please continue leaving kudos and comments for me, it is the only reason for me to go on with my WIPs. <33 I also want to say thank you to whoever it was going back to 'Castle Nights' to leave some kudos there for me for the last chapter as well, I am so grateful that it finally got at least a few more. :'-*
> 
> The next chapter will take a little bit longer, I need to update 'The Alpha King' and 'The Other Race', and I have an idea for a (hopefully) oneshot I want to write. Besides, my poor Wraith and my original characters James and Daniel are crying because I neglected them, so I might try to update them as well before this story. We will see, maybe, Oscar will beg me to go on with this one.
> 
> I'm not sure whether or not the line 'enjoy the new chapter' is appropriate here, but I hope that you will find it well-written at least...

Robert was soaked wet with sweat when he reached his castle again, and he shivered in the cool nightly breeze that blew over the top of the mountain and whispered in the green canopy of the large trees that surrounded his home like giant and silent ancient guards.

Sven must have brought his carriage back into its shack and the horses back to the stables because the courtyard was empty when the dark-haired earl climbed the few stairs to the entrance of the impressive palas, and Robert was grateful that he didn't have to talk to anyone at the moment.

His only wish was to go to his sweet son and assure him that he would never let him down again, that he would choose his next teacher much more carefully and never allow anyone to hurt him in he future.

Oscar probably didn't even know that his teacher had left him alone, that Marco Reus had broken his promise to delight in dubious pleasures instead of taking care of his aristocratic pupil, and a new wave of hot fury shot through him and made him ball his fists again as he pushed the large wooden portal open with more force than necessary.

Robert did his best to ignore the all-consuming disappointment and the sharp pain he felt deep in his heart at the mere thought of never seeing the handsome blond again, and the earl blinked against the angry tears welling up in his eyes with a grim set of his jaw.

He wouldn't cry over someone who had betrayed him like that, he would never cry over anyone again. He had sworn to himself a long time ago that he would never let anybody break his heart the way it had been broken so many years ago, and Robert had kept this promise until Marco Reus had entered his life with the same stubborn determination Robert had tried to protect himself, and he had torn down the thick walls Robert had built around his heart with surprising ease.

Robert's heart was bleeding again, deeply wounded because of Marco's betrayal, but it would heal again like it had healed ten years ago, another big and red scar adding to the ones that were already carved into Robert's soul. The scars wouldn't bleed any longer like the open wound his heart had become, but the ache they would make him feel would remind him of how foolish he had been and hopefully keeping him from ever trusting another living being with his feelings in his future life. His son was the only one who deserved to own a place in his heart and his thoughts, and Robert would better never forget that again.

The castle was as empty as the courtyard had been when Robert headed along to the gloomy corridors to go to his son, but he could hear the distant murmur of quiet voices coming from the kitchen where Mathilda's little realm was.

His inner voice asked Robert to go to the kitchen and talk to Mathilda and Sebastian, but Robert ignored it stubbornly, too angry and hurt to listen to the voice of reason.

Instead, he turned around the next corner and almost ran to the chamber where he would find his beloved son, and Robert stopped before the closed door for a short moment to calm his beating heart down. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and carded through his hopelessly ruffled hair with shaky fingers. His expensive clothes clung to his lithe frame, the linen of his underwear gluing damp and cold to his warmer skin, but Robert didn't care about it. One ruined suit and shirt was worth to be wasted if it only meant that he would see for himself that Oscar was safe and sound as soon as possible.

Robert ripped the tailcoat from his shoulders and threw it to the side before straightening his back and carefully lowering down the handle of the door leading to Oscar's bedchamber.

The young father took a deep breath and slowly opened the door to enter the room and make his way to Oscar's bed through the darkness.

The room wasn't as dark as he had expected it, someone had left the curtains open, and the silvery light of the moon and the stars enlightened the scene greeting Robert's eyes.

His sweet son lay curled up under the covers with his teddy bear pressed against his chest, his cheeks rosy from his slumber and his brown hair a dark-gray shadow on the white pillow.

Robert stopped before the bed and looked down at the small boy, and his heart clenched with the wave of overwhelming love he felt for the one being he couldn't bear losing.

The Earl of Lindelborn dropped down onto his knees before the bed, reaching out with his hand to stroke the soft and silky strands of Oscar's shimmering hair.

“I'm here, darling, I will never leave you again,” Robert whispered into the darkness, just to freeze in place when Oscar let out a small happy sigh and murmured in his sleep.

“Mr. Reus, Marco, is that you? I had a wonderful dream...”

Robert stared at his son, his eyes widening in shock, and he tried to speak, but no sound came out of his mouth when Oscar suddenly sat up in his bed, fully awake now, looking back at his father with a frown of confusion.

“Dadd... I mean father! Why are you back? Where is your jacket and why are you so wet? Did something happen? Why are you looking so scared? Where is Marc... Mr. Reus? Is something wrong with him? Father? Where is Mr. Reus?!”

 

***

 

This had to be a nightmare come true, Robert thought. His sweet son hadn't known that Marco – no he had to think of him as Mr. Reus only in the future – his wonderful son hadn't known that Mr. Reus had left him alone and was scared now, just like Robert had expected it.

The young earl pulled the small boy into his arms and pressed him against his heaving chest, ignoring Oscar's pained groan and his struggles to free himself from the too tight embrace.

“I'm here, darling, I'm here now. I will never leave you again, and I will make sure that no one will ever hurt you again. Mr. Reus betrayed you – he betrayed both of us – but I fixed things and he will never do that again. I fired him for your sake, and he will leave us tomorrow in the morning. He will never hurt you again,” Robert promised hoarsely, his mind clouded with fear and anger and his vision blurred from the tears he didn't want to cry because of a handsome young teacher who had dared to break not only his own stupid heart, but also the heart of his beloved son. The dark-haired lord dabbed desperate kisses all over Oscar's tousled shock of hair, rocking him and pressing his small body close to his own much stronger frame for dear life.

“Father? What are you talking about?” Oscar groaned, beating with his small fists against Robert's chest until his father loosened his tight grip at least a little bit. The boy stared up at him with a furious glare, and Robert tried to soothe him with the husky apologies stumbling out of his mouth.

“I'm so sorry, darling. You told me that you didn't want Mr. Reus as your teacher, and I should have listened to you. But I'll fix it, I promise you. The next teacher will be better, I'll see to that...”

“Father, no!!! You can't do that! You can't send Mar... Mr. Reus away, I won't allow that! I don't want any other teacher. I want Marco! I want Mr. Reus! He is the only one really caring about me! He loves me, he loves me more than you're loving me! You can't do that! You can't take him away from me!” Oscar cried out, pushing forcefully against his father.

Robert let go of him, too surprised to pull him close again, and he felt a thick lump in his throat when he realized the damage the impudent teacher had caused. Somehow, he must have deceived his son, playing tricks on him and making him believe that he truly cared about him, and the sharp pain shooting through Robert for the umpteenth time on this horrible evening felt suspiciously like jealousy.

Robert Lando, Earl of Lindelborn, was jealous of a young and unimportant teacher because he had stolen his son's love from him.

The dark-haired lord suppressed his annoyed growl only with effort to not scare his son, and and he inhaled and exhaled several times before he spoke up again, trying to sound calm and reasonable.

“Mr. Reus doesn't care about you only the slightest, Oscar,” he said, flinching at how defiant and hurt he sounded, not like the controlled grown up man he wanted to be for his son. Oscar didn't know about Mr. Reus' deed, he didn't know that his adored teacher had left him alone to seduce innocent young women instead, maybe even sleep with them and risking to impregnate them without caring about their ruined lives afterwards.

“Mr. Reus left Castle Lindelborn without permission to go the summer ball of the Cramerhaus, I found him there drinking wine with Helena and Jenny, two poor and innocent young women who don't know about the risks of trusting a young man talking sweetly to them while trying to get them drunk!”

Oscar's eyes were big as saucers as he listened to his father's words with his jaw dropped open, and Robert bit his lip, because this was definitely not a topic he should discuss with a ten-year-old boy.

“However, he betrayed you and me with his deed, and therefore, I had to fire him, because I can't allow such behavior of my servants!” Robert finished his explanation rather lamely, and the hot ire radiating from his son actually made him flinch.

“How can you say such terrible things about him! How can you say that Marco betrayed me? He didn't! I was the one telling him that he should go to the summer ball!” Oscar snarled, his voice dropping several octaves and making him sound like a grown up young man.

“You weren't there to do that, and I am the lord of the castle during your absence! Marco hasn't had one single day off ever since he came here, he even spent his free afternoons and evenings with me to not leave me having to play alone in my rooms! I told him to go to the ball and have a good time because I really wanted him to meet other people – grown up people, I mean. I wanted him to find friends and feel at home here to make sure that he will stay for a very long time in Castle Lindelborn. Marco... Mr. Reus didn't want to go there and leave me alone, he told me that he should stay with me because you weren't there to put me to bed. He has done that every single evening since you had left us to see to your business. He read bedtime stories to me and even assured me that me sleeping with Mr. Pebbles would be fine because he did the same, having his own childhood plushy still sleeping next to him in his bed. I actually had  to order him to go there because he didn't want to give me the feeling that he didn't care enough about me!

I told him that he is the only gentleman apart from you I trust enough to take care of Helena and Jenny and see to them not getting harmed by any of those guys only waiting for the chance of laying their hands on such a beautiful young woman like Helena and Jenny are! Mr. Reus finally gave in because of them, and he promised me to protect them and not let any other guy come near them!  
He is a true nobleman, not by birth but by his mindset, and I assured him that I would be fine for one evening with Mathilda and Sebastian seeing to me. I'm old enough to not cry myself to sleep any longer just because my teacher is doing what I had asked him to do!”

Oscar sounded so mature, so grown up as he told his father off this way that it was almost frightening, but the way he took his teddy and pressed it against his small body made him look younger than the ten-year-old boy he actually was. Oscar glided away from Robert and raised his teddy as if he wanted to shield and protect himself from his own father, looking up at him with hurt eyes and trembling lips.

Robert had listened to Oscar with a snow-white face, and he had to swallow against the nausea that pooled in his stomach and threatened to overwhelm him.

The young lord realized that he had made a terrible mistake, that he had judged Marco Reus without giving him the chance to defend himself and tell his side of the story. He had accused him of leaving the castle without permission, and even worse, he had done it in front of the many visitors of the summer ball. Everyone living within a range of about twenty kilometers would know what he had done the next morning, the forest of the Pfälzer Wald might be large and the villages small and lying secluded, but gossip spread around faster than one could look even in such a thin populated region, and Robert would lose his face if he backpedaled now, telling the young teacher to stay.

Which he would most likely have to do begging him on his knees, considering what he had thrown at the handsome blond in his anger. Marco Reus would surely not forgive him that easily, and Robert wasn't ready to admit his mistake and beg anyone.

The Earl of Lindelborn swallowed again, and his voice was shallow as he opened his mouth to speak. “I see. I'm sorry, Oscar, but you didn't have the right to make orders. You're not old enough to really understand the consequences of your behavior, but Mr. Reus is old enough, and he shouldn't have gone to the ball without my permission.”

Robert deliberately ignored the fact that he hadn't explicitly forbidden Marco to go to the ball, something he would never had done because all of his servants were allowed to visit the summer ball every second year.

The real reason for Robert's annoyance was his jealousy and the fact that he didn't want Marco to enjoy himself and dance on a ball without Robert being close enough to make sure that no one would come near the man he desired so much, but this was something he couldn't tell his sweet son. He rose onto his feet on wobbly legs, fearing that he would lose his self-control and his composure if he stayed in Oscar's room for much longer. He needed to be alone now and clear his mind, to think about the future and what he should do. One things was clear though, he had to send Marco away, no matter how much it might hurt him, he simply couldn't appear as weak and inconsistent in his decisions. Oscar needed a firm hand and reliability and Robert giving in to his wish would only cause more damage.

“Mr. Reus will leave us tomorrow, I could never trust him again after what he has done. We will find another teacher for you.”

“Father, no, please, don't do that!!” Oscar started to sob. “It is my fault. Please, don't punish Marco for what I have done, not again! I will never do that again. I will always behave from now and never play pranks or act defiant and childish, I swear to you. But please don't send Marco away!”

Robert's heart felt like breaking as he looked down at his crying son with a stern face. “I won't argue with you about my decision, son. You will go back to sleep now. I'll have to see to some things I couldn't do after my return because of your teacher, and I expect you to be the good son you promised me to be and accept my decision!”

“Father, please, you can't do that!”

Oscar's scream echoed in the corridor when Robert closed the door behind him, and the young lord leaned against it with a strangled sob because his legs didn't support his weight any longer.

What had he done not only to his son and Marco Reus, but also to himself? And what should he do in the future?

Robert Lando, Earl of Lindelborn closed his eyes and buried his face in his hands as the realization of his own deed made the world go black around him.

 

***

 

“My lord! Mylord Robert!”

Robert startled awake with a loud gasp, groaning when the world started to spin around him and the blinding pain of a terrible headache shot through his temples.

“W-what?” the dark-haired earl blinked against the rather bright light of an oil-lamp swinging before his hurting eyes, and it took him a moment until he could see Sebastian standing before the armchair where he must have fallen asleep in his private office.

Robert still wore the clothes he had dressed with early in the morning before his departure – which seemed to be a lifetime ago. The garment had dried in the meantime, but the sweat-soaked linen scratched uncomfortably over his back when he moved.

“Sebastian! What happened?” Robert asked, shaking his head and blinking again. He pulled a face because of the headache and another groan fled his dry and bitten lips when the memory of the evening and the things that had happened rushed back into his mind. He couldn't remember how he had made it to his office after his breakdown, but somehow he must have walked through the castle on his own two feet and without meeting one of his servants, because Sebastian looked as if he was out of breath because of his desperate search for him.

“Mylord! It's the young lord! Lord Oscar is missing! Mathilda went to see to him one hour or so after you had left him, worried about him because we heard you yelling. But she couldn't find him! Lord Oscar wasn't in his room, and we searched the entire castle for him. He must have sneaked out of it shortly after you'd left him!”

Sebastian waved with a sheet of paper through the air. “This is what we found under his pillow! Mylord Robert, please we need to search for him!”

Robert stared at the paper which turned out to be a letter, written with black ink in the unruly handwriting of his son. It had improved since Marco had started to teach him, but it was clear to see that Oscar had cried while writing the letter, the ink smeared at some spots where Oscar's tears had fallen onto the paper.

Robert took the letter with trembling fingers to read what his son had written.

 

_To Robert Lando, Earl of Lindelborn._

_Dear father Lord Lando,_

_I am very sorry for the trouble I have caused, it was never my intention to hurt anyone._

_I only wanted my dear teacher Mr. Marco Reus to have a nice evening and Miss Helena and Miss Jenny to be safe on the summer ball._

_Please don't be angry with Mr. Reus for doing what I asked him to do. I want you to give him the money I inherited from my deceased mother, he will need it until he has found a new job. Mr. Reus once told me that he would love to go back to the university one day to study archaeology - which fascinates him as much as this science fascinates me - and I hope that my heritage will provide him with enough money to do that and make his dream to be an archaeologist one day come true._

_I hope that you will have another son who will be a much better and worthier son for you than I have been one day._

_I love you and I wish you all the best,_

_your devoted son Oscar Lando of Lindelborn._

 

The letter slipped from Robert's cold and numb fingers and fell down on the ground with a small, rustling sound, and Robert stared at it, unable to move or think.

It was Sebastian's harsh voice pulling him out of his shocked state, and the words he said echoed not only in his apart from the oil-lamp otherwise dark room, but also in Robert's head.

“Mylord Robert, we'll have to hurry. Your son is missing and we need to find him!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, but there is more drama waiting for you...


	13. Where Is Oscar?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oscar ran away from Castle Lindelborn, and Robert is desperate to find him, asking Marco for help. Will they find the young boy before it is too late?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter wrote itself pretty fast again, Robert, Marco and Oscar begged me to update their story before seeing to my other ones. I'm afraid there is another cliffhanger again, so I should better hurry with the next chapter again, I guess... ;-)  
> Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback and support for this story, I would never have thought that you would love this story of all stories that much. Please keep up your support and let me know if you're still reading and liking this story, your kudos and comments mean so incredibly and ridiculously much to me! <33

If someone asked Marco how he had made it back to Castle Lindelborn after Lord Lando had fired him in front of all the visitors of the summer ball, he couldn't give them a proper answer, because he didn't know himself how he had made his way back to the castle that had become his home and which he would have to leave in a couple of hours again – this time for good.

The young teacher remembered vaguely Helena and Jenny beside him starting to cry and clinging to his arms for dear life, and that he had tried to calm them down just as if the dark-haired earl had fired them instead of Marco. They had apologized to him again and again for having caused such a mess with their visit, but Marco knew that it wasn't their fault at all, only his own and the fault of Lord Lando, who hadn't given him any chance to justify himself.

They must have left the summer ball shortly after he had been able to walk again, his legs almost not supporting his weight, and they had climbed the steep path back to the old castle in shocked silence, only their heavy breathing and Helena's and Jenny's desperate sobs audible in the cool nightly air.

Dark clouds had started to pile up in the distance, covering the light of the moon and the stars, but Marco hadn't payed attention to the weather change, his only concern being the question how he should explain his dismissal to Oscar the next morning.

They hadn't met any of the other servants after opening the side door to the palas, and Marco had been grateful that he hadn't been forced to talk to Mathilda or Sebastian with his head still spinning and nausea pooling in his stomach. It would be hard enough to do that the following morning, and Marco still hoped that Lord Robert would perhaps listen to him and maybe even change his mind again after some hours of rest and sleep.

His things were packed quickly and sleep wouldn't come to him in this night anyway, Marco knew that for sure, so he didn't even try to go to bed, just to toss and turn on it for the rest of the night. The blond simply stepped to the window and stared into the dark sky, too restless to try and read a book or busy himself with the lessons he couldn't teach Oscar anymore, and he just watched the clouds becoming bigger and darker without really seeing them.

After the first shock finally wearing off as he stood there leaned against the cool glass, fierce and righteous anger replaced Marco's despair and bad conscience slowly inch by inch and after one more endless hour, the young teacher was fuming with rage.

How could Robert Lando, Earl of Lindelborn, dare to accuse him of neglecting his duties? It wasn't Marco who neglected his sweet son, ignoring him instead of playing with him and listening to his dreams and his worries. It wasn't Marco who didn't care enough about the pretty ten-year-old boy, but his own father – the one who was supposed to be always there for Oscar. Robert was the one finding excuses when he should be the one putting his son to bed, taking a walk or a ride with him, not Marco, and the young teacher became angrier with every minute that passed.

Marco had spent most of his time with his pupil ever since his arrival, and he hadn't wanted to go to the summer ball in the first place. Marco had always taken his duties and his responsibilities as much more important than his own wishes, and only Oscar's reasonable request to take care of Helena and Jenny had convinced him to go to the summer ball instead of staying in the castle with Oscar.

Marco had seen too many drunk people in his life to not know what would happen if two young men decided to have some fun without asking whether or not the pretty women they had chosen to be their past time agreed to having 'fun' with them as well.

The fire of his anger replaced the terrible cold that had numbed him ever since Robert had shown up on the summer ball, and Marco balled his fists and took several deep breaths to calm himself down and not just storm out of his chamber to go for the earl's throat and fight with him until Robert would beg him to stay - preferably on his knees - because the handsome aristocrat really deserved to work hard for his forgiveness and Lord Robert also deserved to experience how it felt to be humiliated in front of at least fifty other people.

A sudden bright lightning illuminating the dark sky in the distance made him flinch, and the unexpected loud thump the door to his chamber was banged against the wall with almost sounded like the rolling thunder that came after each lightning.

Marco whirled around his axis to see who wanted to see him that urgently, prepared for throwing everything into the earl's face that had bothered him for so long when he saw the figure standing on his threshold.

“What the heck...” he groused and Lord Lando stopped in the doorway as if Marco had hit him. The way he stared at Marco as if he had seen a terrifying ghost silenced the young teacher and made him close his mouth again. Something terribly had happened, and a cold fist seemed to grab Marco's heart and freeze the blood running through his veins.

“Lord Lando, for heaven's sake! What happened? Is something wrong with Oscar?”

 

***

 

Robert didn't answer to Marco's question right away, he simply looked back at him with desperate eyes big like saucers, and Marco could see the fear and horror in the blue depths. The earl's thick dark hair was hopelessly tousled, his former neat white dress shirt was crumpled and stained, and he didn't wear his tailcoat any longer. Robert's trousers were in the same state as his shirt was, and his hands were shaking when he raised them in a pleading gesture, his right hand clenching around a small piece of paper.

“Mr. Reus, Marco... please... I know that I said some horrible things to you and that I deserve your hate and anger, but please help me finding my son!” The young earl finally ground out through trembling lips, and the blond teacher knew for sure that he would never forget this moment in his entire life, never forget the way Robert looked at him as he bared his soul and his heart to him, begging him to undo the unbearable and bring his son back to him.

Another flash lit up the dark night, pulling Marco out of his own dazed state of shock. He stepped closer to the earl, forgetting his anger and his righteous wish for revenge. Oscar needed him and this was the only thing mattering at the moment.

“Finding Oscar? What happened, Lord Lando?” Marco asked, sensing that he had to stay reasonable and calm for both of them. The earl reached out with his right hand and Marco took the crumpled sheet of paper, reading Oscar's letter with growing dismay.

The roar of the thunder echoing between the walls of the castle sounded like a roar that came straight from hell, and Marco knew that they needed to hurry if they wanted to find Oscar before the thunderstorm would make a search too dangerous for them.

Marco didn't even think that the young boy was still somewhere in the castle, his letter left no doubts that Oscar had run away. Robert ducked his head when he caught Marco's angry stare, knowing quite well what he had done.

“I know, I shouldn't have gone to him to tell him that I had fired you, I should have waited until tomorrow,” the handsome lord mumbled, but Marco only shook his head. “Yes, you shouldn't have, it was more than stupid! But you didn't know that things had improved between Lord Oscar and me and apart from that, this is really not important at the moment, Lord Robert. We need to find him before the thunderstorm has reached the castle!”

Marco was glad that he hadn't undressed when he had come back to his room, and he simply headed for the door without looking whether or not Robert was following him. Oscar needed him more than ever, and Marco wouldn't let him down, not again.

 

***

 

“Mylord, your jacket!” Sebastian waved through the air with something when Marco reached the great hall with Robert in tow, and the young teacher realized that it was Lord Robert's tailcoat he must have lost somewhere else. The butler carried an oil-lamp like Sven, Lars, Nuri and Erik, who must have come back to Castle Lindelborn as well in the meantime, staring at their employer and Oscar's teacher with snow-white faces.

Mathilda, Helena and Jenny stood behind them, their eyes red and swollen from the tears they had cried. Marco could see how shocked they all were, and he realized that he had to take matters in his hands and tell the others what to do.

“We will go and search for Oscar in two-men parties,” he said, giving his voice a firm and unwavering tone. “Mathilda, Helena and Jenny you will stay here. Mathilda, we will need hot water and a fire in Oscar's rooms when we come back with him. Hot milk with honey or a soup, something that will warm him from the inside.”

The cook opened her mouth as if she wanted to object but only nodded when Marco looked meaningfully at her. The three women needed something to do during their search, but it was too dangerous for them to search for Oscar in the darkness themselves and apart from that, Marco needed to know that they were safe and sound. He couldn't worry about any other person dear to him while he searched for the young boy he had come to love as if he was his own flesh and blood.

“There are three paths leading downwards to the base of the mountain, Lord Robert and I will take the one in the south, it is the steepest one, and also probably the one Oscar has chosen to not get caught. We went there earlier today when we searched for pebbles, leaves and animals for our book...”

Marco paused, swallowing against the huge lump in his throat. The other men simply nodded, obviously grateful that the young teacher was taking the lead, and they grazed the desperate father with furtive pitiful glances. The blond straightened his shoulders. “I am not mistaken when I think that you are the best rider except for Lord Robert, Nuri, am I?” he asked the young equerry, and Nuri bit his lip but nodded.

“Yes, Mr. Reus. Sven is a good rider too, but he's better in the coachman's seat.” Nuri carded with his fingers through his hair and Marco felt briefly sorry for him and Erik. The two young men didn't have many chances to be alone and spend some quality time with each other, but finding Oscar came before everything else, and it was clear to see that Erik and Nuri thought much the same.

“Erik and Sebastian will take the main route down to the Cramerhaus, while you should take a horse and call for the doctor, Nuri. I really hope that we won't need them, but better to be safe than sorry,” Marco said, “Please be careful, Nuri, the thunderstorm will reach us soon.”

“Of course, don't worry, I know these weather changes. I grew up here. I shall hurry, Mr. Reus, Lord Robert.” The young man nodded and turned around to run to the stables without any other word. Marco looked at the young earl to make him say something – anything. It was important that Lord Robert showed his employees that he was strong enough to make decisions for them, and the dark-haired lord luckily seemed to sense what he was trying to do and cleared his throat.

“Come on, there is no time to lose! We need to find Oscar!” Lord Lando urged the others on, grabbing his jacket still dangling from his butler's arm and one of the oil-lamps before heading for the door with fast and determined steps. Marco followed hard on him, the pitch-black darkness outside swallowing the two men as they left the old castle to search for Oscar and bring him back where he belonged.

 

***

 

Marco took the lead again when they strode along the small and overgrown path winding itself through the bushes and trees. Sven and Lars had taken the path that went down on the east side of the castle while Erik and Sebastian followed the main route carriages and riders had to take when they wanted to visit Castle Lindelborn. The young teacher didn't think that Oscar had chosen the main route, but they couldn't risk to be careless and maybe, one of the guests visiting the summer ball had seen Oscar and could tell them where he had gone.

Lord Robert walked beside him with fear and sorrow written all over his face, too exhausted and desperate to try and keep the stern mask on his face any longer. He didn't try to talk to Marco, only called for his son again and again like Marco did, his voice hoarse and raw from all of his screaming and shouting and his unshed tears.

“We will find him, Lord Lando, we won't rest until we have found your son,” Marco said firmly, and the dark-haired earl shot him a quick grateful glance out of red-rimmed blue eyes.

“Thank you, Mr. Reus. I know that it's all my fault. I don't know what has gotten into me to wake Oscar up and tell him what I had done to you. I just...” Robert beat himself up, and Marco's heart ached for the man he still loved so much when he saw his grief and despair.

“You thought that I had betrayed him, Lord Robert. You wanted to protect Oscar. He will realize that once we have found him,” Marco consoled the other man, saying silent prayers in his mind that they would find the boy any time soon before something truly bad happened to him. He didn't wonder that he found the forgiveness deep in his heart he had thought that he would never find it only half an hour ago, but seeing Robert's face and sensing his despair coming off in overwhelming waves from him made it impossible for Marco to stay angry with him any longer.

“Oscar! Where are you? Please, come back! Oscar!” Robert screamed into the darkness, stumbling over a root he hadn't seen. Marco grasped his wrist to keep him from falling down, and the dark-haired lord gifted him with a pained smile. “Thank you, Mr. Reus. I don't deserve your forgiveness. You have my word that I will beg you to stay on my knees if that's what you need me to do. I would understand you if you hated me after what I've done to you, but please don't leave us. Please don't leave my son, don't leave... me...” the earl whispered in such a broken voice that all Marco wanted to do was taking him in his arms and never let go of him again.

“You don't have to beg, Lord Robert. I will stay if that's what you really want,” he said instead, his voice full of emotion. “Oscar! It's me, Marco! Come back! Oscar, where are you?” he then screamed once more, narrowing his eyes to get a better view on their surroundings. Oscar was young and agile, he had been desperate to put as much distance between himself and the castle as possible, and it was most likely that he had a commanding lead. Marco swore under his breath because they simply couldn't risk to walk faster in the darkness. The path was small and prone, roots, slippery leaves and hidden stones making it dangerous for them to use it even in the for Marco's liking far too slow pace.

“Oscar needs you. We both need you.” Lord Robert's words were almost inaudible, but Marco heard them nonetheless, and they warmed his heart and gave him new strength and confidence.

“Oscar, where are you? Oscar, please, talk to us! We're not angry with you, we only want you to be safe and sound!” Both men now shouted against the howling wind that threatened to blow them down the abyss at their right side. Thick clouds chased over the black sky like dark-gray giants, reminding Marco of the story about the Wild Hunt, and he swallowed against the fear rising in his throat like bitter bile when the lightnings started to flash again in much closer distance than before, thunder rolling over the mountain like the loud roar of an angry lion or bear.

Robert beside him waved with the oil lamp, but the flickering flame of the lamp was too small to light up their surroundings properly. Yet, something caught Marco's attention when Robert raised the lamp once more, and he cried out and grabbed Robert's arm. “Lord Robert, there in the bush! This is Oscar's bag, I know that for sure. He carried it this morning when we went for our walk. He can't be far away!”

The earl stepped closer, pulling at the bag. The shoulder strap was trapped between several twigs, and Marco had to help Robert to pull it free because the older man's hands were shaking and slippery with sweat. The ground near the bush showed sander marks, and Marco's heart clenched with another bout of fear. The blond teacher knew what had happened before Robert's cry reached his ears. Oscar must have lost his balance, tumbling down the steep slope without any chance to avoid his downfall in the darkness. Marco blinked and his knees buckled with relief and new hope, because if Robert could really see his son, than Oscar might have survived his fall against all odds.

“I can see him! He's lying there, maybe twenty or thirty meters underneath us!” The earl bent forward without caring about his own safety, swaying the lamp again, and Marco could see the small, dark figure lying motionless on a narrow mountain ledge. Oscar lay dangerously close to the edge of it, and it was a true miracle that his downfall had stopped there, because without this mountain ledge, Oscar would have broken his neck, the abyss to deep to survive such a fall.

“Oscar, darling! I can see you! Don't move, I'm coming after you! Don't move, I will be with you right away! Oscar, daddy is here to save you, just hold on for a while longer!” Before Marco could react, the young earl had ripped his tailcoat he had dressed with earlier again from his shoulders, starting to climb down the slippery slope beside the sander marks just when the sky opened its flood gates and rain started to pour down on them like a huge water fall.


	14. A Dangerous Rescue Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco and Robert have found Oscar lying on a small ledge hovering over a deep abyss while the thunderstorm is raging over the mountains of the Pfälzer Wald. Will they be able to save him in time?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is shorter than usual, but I didn't want to mix the rescue mission with their arrival in Castle Lindelborn. I wanted to post this today to not let you wait longer than necessary, I don't know when I will have time to write again. I also want to apologize for the delay of my answers to comments of you within the next days, we'll have to prepare the obsequies for my beloved mother-in-law and some other family affairs.
> 
> Thank you so much for your feedback to the last chapters of this story, it means so much to me. We even reached the 200 kudos, it makes me so very, very happy that you love this story so much, and each kudo and comment is so precious to me and gives me the strength to go on with everything. The next days and weeks will be so hard for my family, please bear with me and support this story in the wonderful way you've done so far. A million thank you from the bottom of my heart to all those of you who will do. <33
> 
> I did my best to make this chapter dramatic and explain the happenings, I hope that I did it right.

“Oscar, darling, don't move. I'm coming to you, I'll be right there to get you!” Robert's voice was swallowed by the next roaring thunder, his ghostly figure disappearing in the blackness that followed the eye-hurting lightnings.

Marco stood at the edge of the slope like frozen in place and for a short moment, he feared that his heart would stop beating as he watched Robert climbing and gliding downwards without any consideration of his own safety.

The cold pouring rain was like an icy wall, turning the former dusty small path into a torrential creek under Marco's shoes and the earth and leaves covering the steep hill into a ankle-deep muddy and very dangerous slide.

His immobility only lasted two or three seconds though, and Marco hastily ripped his own jacket from his already soaked wet body to tie the left sleeve of his clothing to the right sleeve of Robert's tailcoat when he was able to move again, searching frantically for a branch that would be strong enough to carry their double weight. They needed something to hold onto to bring Oscar back to the path and in relative safety.

Marco heaved a shaky sigh of relief when his flickering gaze fell onto the large hazelnut bush next to him, and he slung the other sleeve of his jacket around the thickest branch he could find, his lips moving in inaudible prayers when he carefully and slowly started to climb down the slope after the dark-haired earl, his fingers clenched around the slippery sleeve of Robert's clothing.

The makeshift lifeline was of course not long enough, but they would only need it for the last part of their way back upwards, which was the steepest and most dangerous part without any bush or tree left where they could find something to grasp and hold on to.

Robert had already made half of the perhaps twenty meters that separated them from Oscar, his arms waving through the air when his feet lost their solid ground all of a sudden, and Marco couldn't hold back the desperate cry fleeing his lips when he saw the man he still loved so much stumbling, the twigs of a small bush scratching over his face before Robert managed to grab some of them and stop his own downfall this way. His former snow-white shirt was covered with dark-brown mud and the cold rain was hammering down on the earl's head and shoulders, but Robert didn't seem to notice, letting go of the twigs when he had found his balance again and crawling to the spot where his son was lying motionless on all fourth.

“I'm only a few meters behind you, Robert!” Marco screamed to make himself audible over the next crashing thunder without realizing that he had called his employer by his birth-name and without any title. This was not the time to care about such unimportant things, and Robert seemed to think the same, because he only nodded and screamed back:

“We need to hurry, the wind threatens to blow him over the ledge, Marco!”

Marco's heart clenched with another wave of hot fear when he saw that Robert was right, and he took a deep breath and pushed himself forward, using the momentum of his body to glide down the slope as fast as possible under the difficult circumstances and reach the young father at his next stop by a lonely bush in the middle of the gap between them and the ledge where Oscar's downfall had stopped.

There were only six or seven meters left now, but they had to be careful to not push Oscar down into the deep abyss by accident, and Marco braced his heels against the muddy ground and took the thick branch of the lonely and stunted bush to stabilize himself.

“Take my hand Robert and pull at Oscar's arm. I know that it is a risk because of a possible spine or head injury, but we must try it nevertheless before the storm blows him over the edge!” The blond teacher shouted, and Robert enclosed Marco's wrist with his hand and lay on his front, reaching out with his right hand for Oscar's left foot, the only part of his son's body he could reach in this position, both of his arms stretched to their limits this way.

The young teacher bit down on his lip to deal with the sharp pain that shot through him when his left shoulder joint threatened to become dislocated because of Robert's heavy weight, and sweat broke out on his forehead, intermingling with the hard and cold drops of the rain there.

“I can't reach him, Marco. There are a few centimeters left Damn it!” Robert cried out in despair, and Marco narrowed his hurting eyes against the wind and the rain to clear his blurred vision. He could see the storm pulling at Oscar's unconscious body while Robert stretched his arms to their limits, and he knew that they had to change tactics and be very quick if they wanted to safe the boy before it would be too late.

The young teacher gritted his teeth and felt for Robert's shinbone while wrapping his own ankles around one of the small trunks of the bush. Hard twigs and stones cut into his legs, but he ignored the new pain with grim determination.

“Let go of my hand, Robert! I'll hold you on to your foot! Trust me, I won't let you fall down!” he shouted against the howling wind and the next rolling thunder, the lightnings bathing the steep hill in their bright light almost blinding him. But Marco just tightened his grip around Robert's ankle, and the dark-haired earl loosened his own desperate grip around Marco's wrist and slid the last meter down on the slope, closing his hand around Oscar's limp arm in the very same moment the next gust of wind pushed the legs of the small boy over the ledge.

The sinews in Marco's feet screamed in protest when the forceful pull almost made him lose contact to the trunk he was holding on to for dear life, and Marco lifted his head up and howled in pain, but he clenched his slippery fingers around Robert's ankle and started to pull at him, very slowly and carefully, while tears of pain and effort streamed over his muddy face.

Robert's incoherent murmur urged him to increase his efforts, and the relief when he saw that Robert had managed to pull Oscar away from the abyss and back onto the muddy slope almost made his knees buckle and his feet lose their tight grip again.

Marco pulled and groaned, dragged and screamed, his shouts echoing in the chilly air in between the thunders roaring over their heads. The blond teacher mused briefly about their astonishing luck that no flash had hit one of them so far, but his thoughts vanished when he could suddenly feel Robert pushing Oscar's thin and small arm against his hand.

“Take him, Marco, bring him back to the path! I need a short break!” the earl shouted, feeling for the branches of the bush and wrapping both arms around them. Marco could see that the older man was shaking, and he could only hope that Robert would not try to climb the because of the thick and sticky mud dangerous slope all by himself.

“Stay there, Robert! I'm coming back to help you! Don't try to be brave, your son needs you more than ever!” he growled, and Robert simply nodded, too exhausted to even raise his head, now that he knew his son in relative safety.

Marco wrapped his left arm around Oscar's thin body and started to slowly crawl upwards.

 

***

 

Robert watched Marco climbing the hill back to the path on all fourth with Oscar between his arms to protect him and keep him from falling down again with blurry eyes while heavy chills wrecked his body again and again, and the clattering of his teeth almost drowned out the loud thunder hurting in his ears. He didn't feel his body any longer, the cold rain numbing even the pain of his sprained joints. His eyes stung from the icy rain and his own hot tears, but the young father didn't care about his own well-being.

All he cared about was that Marco now reached the bush where he had wrapped their jackets around the branch, using it for support as he crawled the last few meters upwards with the precious cargo in his arms. Robert lost sight of them when the blond reached the top and pushed Oscar onto the path, and Robert closed his eyes for a moment, overwhelmed by the deep gratitude that his beloved son, the one being he loved more than his own life, was out of danger and back on solid ground. “Thank you for saving my baby, thank you for saving my baby. Thank you so much for saving my baby,” he whispered huskily, his trembling voice choked and strangled with emotions. The next lightning hitting the earth in rather close distance to him almost blinded him, and the dark-haired earl realized that he had to get away from the bush and try to reach the path if he didn't want to die here.

A small sound, something between a gasp and a sob, fled his bitten and swollen lips as Robert let go of the bush and started to creep upwards.

There was almost no strength left in his hurting body, but Robert pressed his lips to a thin line and pulled his head between his trembling shoulders, focusing on pushing one knee forward, then one hand and the other knee and hand before starting with the first one again. The dark-haired earl had lost all tracks of time, and the slope seemed to be endless, the top of the mountain too far away to ever reach it.

“I told you to stay where you are, Robert!” Marco's voice suddenly sounded close to his ear. “You stubborn and stupid man, will you ever learn to trust me?” Two strong arms gently pulled at his shoulders, and Robert gratefully let himself be dragged upwards to where their tied jackets blew in the finally calming storm.

“I couldn't. The lightnings...” Robert murmured, and Marco sighed but nodded. “Yes, I know, Robert. Take the sleeve, I'll help you,” the blond simply said, and Robert grabbed the wet material and crawled upwards with newly revived spirits. A forceful push against his back shoved him over the edge and onto the slippery path, and Robert fell down into the mud right beside his sweet son, pulling him close with one shaky hand before everything went dark for a while.

 

***

 

Marco crawled back to the bush and started to untie their jackets from it which proved to be a difficult task because of the wetness that had tightened the knot he had made earlier as much as the weights of their bodies when they had used their provisional lifeline. They needed the clothing to bring Oscar back to Castle Lindelborn and protect Oscar from the wind and the rain, and Marco growled and fiddled with the sleeves even though his fingers were totally numb. The young teacher didn't know from where he took the strength to go on because he felt as tired and exhausted as he had never felt in his entire life before, but he didn't let go of the jacket until he had untied it, stumbling the last few meters back to where he had left Oscar and his father.

The blond blinked against a sudden dizziness and knelt down beside the young boy, pressing his fingers against Oscar's throat to feel for his pulse. At first, he couldn't feel anything, and the hammering of his own heartbeat was louder than the thunder and every other sound, ringing in his ears until Marco feared that he would become deaf but then, he felt a soft flutter under his cold fingertips, and Oscar made a small sound, a quiet whimper that proved to Marco that there was still at least a tiny spark of life left in his far too thin body.

“We're there, darling, your daddy saved you,” he murmured, stroking a wet curl out of Oscar's snow-white face. “Your father was so great, he loves you dearly and he saved you, darling. We will bring you back to the castle, back home where you belong.”

The boy's dark eyelashes fluttered like his pulse, but Oscar didn't open his eyes, and Marco knew that they had to hurry and bring him back to Castle Lindelborn as fast as possible. He would have preferred to check him for injuries, but he couldn't do that here in the pouring rain, and Robert lifting his head up beside Oscar with a groan made him look up from the boy.

“Rob... Lord Robert! We need to get Oscar out of the rain!” he said, and the young earl nodded and hauled himself up onto his knees. “Yes, we will bring my son back where he belongs, back to our home Marco,” he croaked out, his voice raw and hoarse from his screams, but also filled with new strength.

Marco could see him smile at him, Robert's teeth blinking white in his muddy face. Marco was sure that he had never seen anything more beautiful than this smile, and he gently lifted Oscar up into Robert's waiting arms before rising to his own feet. The young teacher wrapped their wet jackets around the small body and took Oscar's bag to sling the strap around his shoulder.

Robert started to move on shaky legs, and Marco protectively wrapped his arm around Robert's shoulder, supporting him as they turned around to go back to Castle Lindelborn, the castle that was not only Oscar's and Robert's home, but Marco's home now as well.


	15. Back In The Castle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert and Marco rescued Oscar together and are on their way back to the castle now to let him be examined by the doctor. Will Oscar ever recover from his injuries and what will happen between Robert and Marco when they are back and finally being able to talk?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I won't be at home for two days from tomorrow on because of the funeral of my mother-in-law and another trip to visit a dear friend on Satruday, but I managed to update this story because of the holiday today.  
> Oscar will wake up in the next chapter, I promise, but there is something else in here you might have waited for for a rather long time. Some kind of cliffhanger again, though.  
> This story has turned out to become my most successful and supported one so far, and your kudos and comments are what keep me motivated writing it for you, so please keep showing me that you're still reading and enjoying it because feedback is love. <33

Marco wasn't really sure how they made it back to the castle in the middle of the slowly fading thunderstorm, the pouring rain blurring their vision and soaking them wet down to their bones while the flashing lightnings hurt in their already strained eyes and the thunder rang unbearably loud in their otherwise deaf ears.

Robert walked beside him with a face that looked like the face of a marble statue, snow-white under the mud covering it and with an impassive but yet grim and desperate expression. They didn't talk, both of them too exhausted to even try it except for a few short shouts to orientate themselves in the darkness, but there was no need for them to talk anyway, not after what they had been through together in this fateful night.

The dark-haired earl carried his son in his arms, holding him tight to his chest under their wet and dirty jackets, and Marco's arm around Robert's shoulder protected him from tripping over the roots and stones covering the unsteady ground and letting his precious cargo slip from his arms. Oscar was still small and thin for his ten years, but his weight must be heavy because of his unconsciousness nevertheless, and they were more stumbling over the courtyard than really walking when the grayish-red stones of Castle Lindelborn came finally into sight.

Marco found himself hammering against the portal of the palas with both fists before he even knew how he had gotten there, screaming desperately against the howling wind to make himself be heard, Robert leaning against the wall beside him to keep himself upright now that they had reached the relative safety of the castle.

The portal swung open before his last cry had faded, and they were pulled into the illuminated and dry hall by two pairs of strong arms. “Lord Robert, Marco, thank God! You found him, you really did! The others are still searching, but they will come soon as well, I guess.”

Marco blinked against the sudden warm and dim but for him still rather bright light of the oil lamps attached to the walls of the hall, staring at Mathilda as if he was seeing her for the first time in his life.

“Yes, we did,” he croaked out, his voice raw and strained and his throat sore from his screaming. “Oscar is injured, Mathilda, we need the doctor!”

The small and slim woman simply nodded. “Dr. Klopp is already here, my dear. We were lucky, Nuri found him among the guests of the summer ball, he was waiting for the storm to calm down in the Cramerhaus together with the other visitors. Helena and Jenny are preparing Oscar's rooms for his arrival at the moment, and Dr. Klopp is waiting there for you.”

Marco huffed a sigh of heartbreaking relief that was actually more a sob, and he turned around to Robert who was fighting against Nuri wanting to take his son away from him and who tried to pull Oscar out of his embrace without causing more damage to the unconscious boy. The blond teacher could tell instantly that the young father was under shock, and he stepped to him and laid his hand upon his arm.

“Lord Robert please, Nuri is only trying to help. We're both soaked wet and dirty, and Oscar needs warm and dry clothes and to be checked by the doctor as soon as possible. Mathilda will help you to change and clean up before seeing to your son, we can't risk Oscar getting an inflammation because of our dirty clothes in his weak state.”

Robert frowned but nodded absentmindedly, his flickering eyes searching for Marco's calm and reassuring gaze. “Of course, you're right, Mr. Re... Marco.” He swallowed, and Marco's heart broke at the pleading expression in his red-rimmed eyes when he carefully put his son into Nuri's arms. “Please take care of my baby, Nuri, he's all I have.”

The young equerry wrapped his arms around the fragile figure as if he feared that Oscar would break if he embraced him too tightly, his attentive gaze fixed on the boy as he nodded. “Of course my lord. No further harm will come to your son, you have my word on that.”

Marco watched Nuri heading towards Oscar's rooms with a lump in his throat, smiling at Mathilda and patting Robert's arm.

“I'm fine, Mathilda, just help Lord Robert, he carried his son all the way here after rescuing him from a small ledge. I will come to Lord Oscar's room when I have changed into dry clothes.”

Mathilda might be small and slim, but her aura was the aura of a strict but caring mother as she nodded, sliding her hand through the earl's bent arm. “You need dry clothes and something that will warm you from the inside, my lord. I'll see to you getting both, and then you can go back to your baby,” she said, her quiet voice leaving no doubts that there would be no arguing about this.

Marco smiled and turned around to head to his own chamber, not wanting to waste any more time and get back to Oscar as fast as he could. Robert and Oscar needed him, now that they were safe again more than ever, and Marco Reus wasn't the man to let those down who needed him.

 

***

 

They had undressed him and Dr. Klopp was still examining him when Marco entered Lord Oscar's bedchamber, Jenny holding the lamp for the physician as he checked the boy's life-signs.

Dr. Klopp was a friendly looking man in his late forties, and Marco could see that he knew what he was doing right away. A wave of relief washed over the young teacher, because he had seen too many so called luminaries who didn't know what they were doing at all, causing more damage to sick and injured people rather than helping them to recover, and he quietly crossed the room to step beside the dark-haired earl and watch Dr. Klopp examine his student.

Marco had broken any time record that might have existed beforehand, cleaning himself and changing into fresh and dry clothes as fast as he had never done before, but he had waited in the shadows of the corridor until he had seen Robert coming from the other side and opening the door to Oscar's rooms because he hadn't wanted to give Robert the feeling that he had failed his son by coming back to him after his teacher only. The blond had waited until Robert had closed the door before almost running through the gloomy hallway, and Robert's brief glance in his direction proved to him that he had done the right thing, the earl's feelings displaying rather openly on his handsome but tired features for a split second.

“How is he, Dr. Klopp?” Robert sounded as if his throat was hurting, and it probably did after all the screaming and the cold rain that had seeped through every cell of their freezing bodies for far too long.

The friendly doctor didn't look up from his task as he carefully listened to Oscar's strained breathing. “Lord Oscar sprained his left ankle and his right wrist pretty badly, but both will heal given enough rest to them for the next couple of days. I bandaged both, you only have to make sure that your son won't move his hand and his foot too much, and you'll have to fix his leg on a cushion as often as possible to elevate his foot. I'm more worried about his concussion and the hypothermia he's obviously suffering from. There is a big swelling at the right side of his skull, and I am not sure whether or not there is a small fracture underneath the swelling. This will show during the next hours when the swelling is not that big anymore. Lord Oscar is young and I think that he instinctively protected his head with his arm during his downfall, therefore the sprained wrist. But his hypothermia could turn into a pneumonia, and he needs surveillance twenty-four hours a day. He will most likely be in great pain when he wakes up, but I don't want to risk giving him any painkillers as long as I'm not sure about his skull and his concussion. Therefore, he will need someone to calm him down and stop his writhing because of the pain.”

“This won't be a problem, Dr. Klopp. I'm not going to leave my son alone for merely a second anyway,” Robert said, and Marco nodded and cleared his throat. “We will stay with him together, Lord Robert. I'm no going to leave him alone over the next hours and days either,” he stated, not caring about whether or not his words were impudent and overstepping a line.

Robert shot him a grateful look. “Thank you, Mr. Reus,” he murmured, and Marco felt a sharp sting of disappointment at the formal addressing, even though he suspected that the young earl had only done that because of Dr. Klopp.

“That's good, he will need both of you to recover and heal not only from his injuries but also from his shock,” the physician answered, admitting that he had been a witness of Robert's outbreak earlier this evening with his statement. But his voice didn't sound judging, and his gaze was calm and not disgusted when he finally looked up at the two men standing before the bed and very close to each other. Marco hadn't noticed that either he or Robert had moved closer during Oscar's examination, but he didn't bother to step away and leave more room between them.

“I have done all I can do at the moment,” Dr. Klopp continued, stuffing his medical equipment back into his large black leather bag. “I will visit you twice a day over the following days to see for myself how your son is doing, Lord Lando.” The physician rose to his feet, and Lord Robert licked over his dry lips.

“Thank you, Dr. Klopp. I cannot tell you how grateful I am for your help. I want to offer you one of my guestrooms for the night though. The storm is still raging, and it's far too late for you to go back to Vorderweidenthal.”

Dr. Klopp shook his head with a sigh. “Your offer is very kind, my lord, but I have to see one of my patients in Darstein. It is a young mother and she's due to going into labor at any time. Her child didn't move into the right position so far, and I promised her to come to her again after the summer ball. I actually hadn't wanted to visit the ball at all, but Mr. Neuer needed another check as well, and then the storm came and I decided to wait in the Cramerhaus until the worst would be over. I was about to leave when Nuri tore down the steep path as if being hunted by the devil itself.”

Robert glanced at the equerry who had been standing by the door without moving or speaking during the examination, and Nuri blushed a little bit and shrugged his shoulders. “I wasn't in danger, Lord Lando, and there was no time to waste, wasn't it?”

Robert rubbed his temples and Marco balled his fists to keep himself from reaching out and touching him. “How did you get here, Dr. Klopp?” the dark-haired earl asked, and Dr. Klopp grinned. “On the back of my own horse like always, Lord Lando. Riding is the better and faster option in the Pfälzer Wald than using a cart or a carriage. Don't worry about me, please, I'll be fine. I would only be grateful if you could provide me with a dry coat,” he said, stepping to the bowl on the washstand beside the bed to clean his hands after the examination. Marco knew that only few doctors cared about doing that, and he was glad that Dr. Klopp belonged to those few.

“Of course, Dr. Klopp. This is the least I can do for you. Miss Helena will wash and dry your coat, you will get it back tomorrow then. Nuri, would you please see to Dr. Klopp getting a new coat and something to drink before he'll leave us?”

“Of course, my lord Robert. Dr. Klopp, would you please follow me?” Nuri opened the door, and the friendly physician smiled at offered his hand to the earl at first and then to Marco. “Goodnight, Lord Lando, Mr. Reus. I left some instructions for Lord Oscar's treatment on the nightstand. I'll be in Darstein for most of the day tomorrow, I'll give Nuri the address before I'll leave. Don't hesitate to call me at any time, please.”

Robert shook his hand. “We will do that, Dr. Klopp. Thank you for everything. My son is all I have. I couldn't bear losing him.”

Dr. Klopp looked back and forth between him and Marco. “I know, Lord Lando, I know, believe me. But your son is not the only one you have. You have friends here, my lord, friends who care about you. You're not alone,” he said, looking straight into Marco's eyes before finally turning around and quietly leaving the apart from Oscar's strained breathing now silent room.

 

***

 

“Dr. Klopp is right, Lord Robert, you know that, don't you? You have friends here who care deeply about you. Your employees all care deeply about you and Lord Oscar.”

Robert didn't know how long he had sat on the chair beside Oscar's bed after Dr. Klopp, Nuri and Jenny finally having left the room, and Marco's quiet words were the first things he had said since they had sat down to watch Oscar for the rest of the night.

The silence between them hadn't been uncomfortable though, more thoughtful and the result of the bone-wrecking exhaustion both of them felt.

The young earl slowly turned his head to look at the blond teacher sitting beside him, his tired eyes traveling over Marco's pale face. There were dark circles under his blood-shot amber-green eyes and lines around his sensitive mouth, speaking of too many worries and not enough sleep, but Marco had never looked more beautiful to him, and his heart ached with all the love he felt for the young man with the handsome male features and the passion for his job and his students.

“And you, Marco? What about you? Are you my friend too?” he asked hoarsely when the silence stretched between them, craving for so much more than only Robert's friendship so badly.

The younger man smiled. “You know that I am, Lord Robert,” he said, and Robert frowned at the title Marco had used even though no one could hear them.

“If you're really my friend, Marco, then stop hiding yourself behind my title. I thought that we were way past this.”

Marco bit down on his lip. “I'm sorry. I wasn't sure – now that we are back and not in danger any longer,” he murmured, and Robert sighed and reached out to touch his cheek. “I know that we have to keep up appearances in public, Marco, but if you're really my friend – if you have really forgiven me what I have done to you, then please show me and call me Robert only when we're alone. Please, I need you to...” his last words were only a quiet whisper, almost inaudible, but Marco must have heard them, because he smiled and took Robert's hand to gently squeeze it.

“I am your friend, and there is nothing to forgive, Robert. I was hurt and angry, but you were only trying to protect your son from getting hurt – your son and yourself actually. I would most likely have done the same if I had been in your shoes.”

Robert smiled sadly. “No, you wouldn't have done the same, Marco. You would have listened to me before shouting and accusing, and I will never forgive myself for not having listened to you and Oscar. It was only that I was so... when I saw you there on the ball... in your clothes, the same clothes you had worn during our dinner... you looked so handsome, so beautiful, and there were all of these young men and women looking at you...” Robert's voice trailed off and he swallowed, his heart throbbing in his throat when he searched for Marco's eyes.

“I was jealous, Marco. I didn't want them to look at you this way, I didn't want them to see you in these clothes. I know that I didn't have any right to be jealous, but I was jealous, and I felt betrayed and hurt although I know that I didn't have the right to feel like this either. I'm so sorry for what I did, and I don't deserve you telling me that there is nothing to forgive, because there is so much for which I have to beg for your forgiveness.”

Marco's finger on his lips silenced him, and Robert swallowed again when he looked into those beautiful amber-green depths again. “Don't do that, Robert. We can't turn back the clock and undo what happened, but we can start anew if that's what you want. I am not angry with you any longer, and I am your friend. How could I not forgive you after watching you risk your own life for your son? How could I still bear a grudge against you after having held your life in my own two hands down there on the slope, literally I mean? I will never forget the moment when the wind threatened to blow Oscar over the ledge and you grabbed him and pulled him back, and this was only possible because you trusted me enough that I wouldn't let you down and hold on to your feet and keep you safe no matter what would happen. Nothing else matters to me any longer, and this moment is what I will keep in mind and treasure as the only important memory. We rescued your son together, and I will always be there for both of you if you'll let me stay here in Castle Lindelborn and be your friend.”

Marco paused, regarding Robert intently. “More than your friend if you want me to, Robert.”

Robert stared into Marco's eyes, and he couldn't believe that this was truly happening, that Marco was really giving him a second chance after all he had done to not only him but mostly to his sweet son, and he blinked and licked his lips as well, instinctively moving closer and leaning in until their lips were almost touching.

“I want that, Marco, I really do,” was all he could whisper, pressing his lips onto Marco's mouth in a first and almost shy, tentative kiss.


	16. Oscar's Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco and Robert have finally kissed. But Oscar is still unconscious, and everyone in the castle is waiting for him to finally wake up...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was told to not do a time-jump and leave their first kiss out if I didn't want to get into serious trouble, so I went to great length and dedicated and entire page of the five and a half pages I've needed to write this chapter to describe their first kiss properly. I hope that I did it right and that no one will be disappointed. ;-)  
> I couldn't resist to end this chapter with some kind of cliffhanger again, they are simply too much fun to write...  
> I am busied with another work that needs to be finished on Thursday, but if I'll manage to get enough time for writing, then I will write the next chapter of this story afterwards to not let you wait for too long for Robert's story. Your kudos and comments would be my strongest motivation to do that. <33
> 
> I want to thank all of you for the wonderful and encouraging comments and the many kudos you have left on this story so far, I'm still in awe that you like this story of all of my stories so much. Thank you!! :-D

Marco's lips felt so perfect upon his own, soft and warm and tender, their first kiss only a shy and tentative approach, but it couldn't have been more perfect for Robert. He had practiced his role as the self-confident, tough and unswerving aristocrat and businessman for years, and most people he had to deal with wouldn't believe that he was still shy and uncertain about himself and the feelings he had locked deep inside his heart.

Truth to be told, Robert wanted other people to believe that he was just like he appeared to be. He didn't play this charade only because he was the Earl of Lindelborn and therefore had to keep up appearances at all cost, but also because he didn't want others to take a look behind his facade and see the uncertain and desperate young man he actually was.

Robert had kept his true feelings locked away and hidden deep inside his soul for more than ten years by now, and it was hard for him to show his true self to anyone, to admit it even to himself after all the long time that had passed since he had been forced to turn into a person he wasn't at all.

Marco Reus - the most uncommon teacher Robert had ever met - had been the first one to tear down the walls he had built around his heart and his soul so carefully, and it had scared the hell out if him at the beginning, making him fight hard against not only Marco but also himself, but all of his fears vanished into the warm and fragrant air of Oscar's bedroom as he now kissed the handsome blond.

Robert closed his eyes and moaned softly deep in his throat as he pulled Marco closer to his body to add more more pressure and finally deepen their kiss. Marco let him in without objection when he stroked over the smooth flesh of his sensitive lips with the tip of his tongue, inviting Robert to explore the sweet cavern that promised delights and pleasures the young lord had missed so badly and dreamed of for so long.

It was clear that this wasn't Marco's first kiss, that he had done this before – most likely even with other men and not only women - but the younger man didn't try to take the lead but let Robert set up the pace of their first cautious convergence, only cradling his head and gently stroking Robert's short and tousled dark hair as he returned the kiss with longing and tenderness.

Robert lost himself in the sensations of a warm mouth and a curious and cheeky tongue inviting his own to dance the old courting dance with its counterpart, and time stood still while they kissed, the warm light of the oil lamps throwing flickering shadows all over them. The young earl couldn't keep the happy and aroused moans inside as they kissed and kissed, and he enjoyed the feeling of Marco's stubble scratching over his own, the visible and tangible proof that Marco was a grown up and desirable man and not a delicate young lady. He loved the slight roughness of their kiss, the sensation of lips that were smooth and warm but thinner than the lips of a woman, and he thought that he could drown happily in Marco's wonderful unique scent, musky and so very male.

Marco must have spent a lot of his time outside the castle within the last days because his skin smelled of summer air and sun, of fresh sweat and the herbal soap the blond teacher used, but most of all it smelled of pure and utter Marco, and Robert inhaled greedily his natural perfume, wishing that their kiss would never come to an end.

The younger man seemed to feel the same way about their kiss, because he pulled him closer with an impatient grunt when Robert drew back to get some air back into his starved lungs, taking the lead now and exploring Robert's mouth as thoroughly as Robert had explored his only one minute ago.

The young lord was more than fine with that, and for one short moment, he forget everything around him, nothing else existing any longer than the beautiful young man in his arms.

“D-dad-d-dy?” The pained groan coming from the bed startled both of them, and Robert flinched back, blinking against the dizziness and the lust clouding his mind as he stared down at his sweet son.

“Oscar! You're awake! My sweet baby, you have finally woken up!”

 

***

 

“Ouch, ouch, my head, my leg, my arm...” Oscar writhed on his bed without opening his eyes, his small snow-white face contorted with the pain he must feel because of his injuries. Two red spots had formed on his cheeks, and Robert flinched when he laid his hand on Oscar's forehead to check his temperature. His son was burning like a little oven, and he was clearly suffering badly.

“Shhh, hush, darling, I'm here, you're safe now, don't fret, hush, my sweet baby, everything's going to be fine again...” he murmured helplessly, stroking over Oscar's hot and dry skin to calm him down and soothe him. Marco silently handed him a damp cloth, and Robert took it with a grateful smile to gently wipe his son's face with it.

“Daddy? Daddy, where am I? My head hurts so much! My hand, ouch, my foot...” Oscar whined, and Robert swallowed against the huge lump in his throat, tears stinging in his eyes when he heard the fear and the pain in Oscar's small and hoarse voice.

“You are in your bed, darling. We brought you back to our home, you fell down on a steep slope, and you sprained your ankle and your wrist and you hit your head somewhere. The pain will go away again, I promise you, darling. But you'll have to lie still to not make it worse.”

“But it hurts so much! I want Marco... I want Mr. Reus, please daddy tell him that he can stay here, don't let him leave me, please...”

“Hush, darling, Marco is here, and he won't go anywhere. You only need to open your eyes to see that he's sitting right beside me,” Robert soothed his desperate son, and Oscar finally opened his eyes with visible effort, groaning because the light of the oil lamps must hurt him in his state.

Marco bent down to him, taking the cloth Robert handed back to him to wet it again with the now cold water in the bowl beside the bed.

“I'm here, sweetheart, I'm right here with you,” the blond teacher murmured tenderly, not caring about titles and the fact that Oscar was his aristocratic student. Robert was glad that he didn't care about it though, and his heart clenched with emotion at Marco's next words.

“I won't go anywhere, sweetheart, I promise you. Your daddy and I will stay with you until you're feeling better again. At least one of us will always be here when you wake up, but you must lie still, Oscar. Can you do that for us, baby? Lie still and not writhe like that? Your pain will only become worse if you'll keep doing that.”

Oscar squeezed his eyes shut when another wave of pain washed over him, but he slowly nodded his head. “I can do that, I think. I'm so sorry, Marco. It was my fault, I tried to explain to my dad that I had ordered you to go to the ball, but he just wouldn't listen to me, and now he's mad at you because I told you to protect Helena and Jenny...” Big tears rolled over his face, and Robert really hated himself for what he had done to his sweet son.

“Shhh, sweetheart, it's not your fault, please don't think that. It was only a big mistake, nothing else. You didn't do anything wrong, Oscar.” Marco pressed a quick kiss onto his temples, wiping Oscar's tears away with the cool cloth. “We talked about it and everything's fine again between us. Your daddy was so great, sweetheart, he saved you before you could get more hurt, he was so brave, your daddy is a true hero, just like you are.”

Oscar looked at him with big eyes, forgetting his pain for a moment because of his astonishment. “He really did that?” he whispered, his gaze darting to his father to see whether or not Marco had spoken the truth.

“Is it true that you saved me, daddy? Are you not angry with me because I ran away?” Oscar sounded cautious and torn between his happiness that his father had come to his rescue and his fear that the man who was his father but hadn't behaved like a caring and loving dad ever since he could remember it would yell at him.

Robert smiled tenderly at him, laying all of the deep love he felt for his sweet son in his smile and his voice as he said: “I am not angry with you, darling. I was wrong and you were right, and I really hope that you will forgive for causing you so much hurt and fear. I am so sorry for what I did, darling. I never thought that you would be desperate enough to run away, and your letter opened my eyes and made me realize what I did to you and Marco. But Marco is not right, I didn't save you alone, and I am not a hero at all. I only did what every father would do. He is the real hero here. He came with me, and he rescued both of us, helping me to bring you back onto the path and to our home. I couldn't have done it without him, and I asked him to forgive me, Oscar. Marco will stay with us, and I will never send him away again.”

Marco had blushed at his praise, and he felt for Robert's hand to squeeze it before reaching out to take the teddy that was sitting on the shelf over Oscar's bed, waiting for his owner to take notice of him. “It's a good thing that you left Mr. Pebbles here, Oscar. He told me where we would find you in the raging storm,” he said, laying the teddy on the pillow next to the boy's head.

Oscar took it with his uninjured left hand, pulling the plushy close to his slim body with a strangled sob. “I couldn't take him with me. Mr. Pebbles only knows Castle Lindelborn and Bad Bergzabern, he would have become homesick if I had taken him with me. I hoped that he would take care of my daddy and console him when I wasn't there any longer,” he admitted shyly, and Robert wanted to cry and pull his son close and never let go of him again. But he didn't give in to his overwhelming wish, knowing that he would only cause his beloved baby more pain if he did. “It was very kind of you to think of me and leave Mr. Pebbles to protect me, darling,” he whispered hoarsely, stroking his cheek again. “But we would have been heartbroken without you living here with us, Oscar. Mr. Pebbles and I love you so very much.”

“I love both of you too, daddy. I'm sorry for having run away, I didn't mean to break your heart.” Oscar licked over his dry lips. “I'm thirsty,” he said, and Robert nodded and took the mug with the herbal tea Mathilda must have brewed for Oscar while they had searched for him. The smell of chamomile calmed his nerves when he inhaled it, and the young earl hoped that it would calm his son and help him to sleep peacefully for at least a few hours.

“Let me help you,” Marco offered, gently lifting Oscar's head from the pillow, careful to not cause the boy any more pain. Oscar sipped from the tea, closing his eyes when he pulled back from the mug again. “My head and my arm still hurt so much,” he whispered miserably, and Robert kissed him on his cheek, wishing he could take away the pain from his sweet son to endure it himself instead. Robert would gladly suffer for his son's sake if it only meant that Oscar was safe and happy.

“I know, darling. Dr. Klopp was here to check you, and he said that it is too dangerous to give you something against the pain until he is sure about your concussion. He will come back tomorrow, and maybe he will allow me to give you some medicine against your pain after his next examination.”

“Hmm.” Oscar was already half asleep again. “Please don't go away...” he murmured dozily, and Marco and Robert spoke up at the same time. “We won't go away, Oscar, just go to sleep. We will be here when you wake up again.”

The young boy cradled his teddy and fell asleep with a small sigh, and Robert watched his sweet son sleep with tears in his eyes but the hope in his heart that one day, Oscar, Marco and him might be a real family because after all, hope is the last thing to die.

 

***

 

Marco and Robert sat there for a while without speaking, both men just looking down at the sleeping boy. The silence between them wasn't uncomfortable though, more thoughtfully, and Marco didn't feel the need to break it, sensing that the dark-haired earl needed some time to come to terms with his feelings and how to start their needed conversation.

The quiet knock on the door made both of them turn their heads, and Marco smiled reassuringly at Robert. “Please stay where you are, Robert. I'll go looking who it is.”

“Thank you, Marco,” the dark-haired earl whispered hoarsely before turning his head again, taking Oscar's hand that peered out from under the blanket.

Marco crossed the room to open the door, and he wasn't surprised to find Sebastian standing before the door, carrying a small cot together with Lars. Mathilda was standing behind them with a tray with food. “We thought that you don't want to leave Oscar, but sleeping in a chair all of the time will be too uncomfortable for you, so we brought a cot for Lord Robert and you where you can sleep upon more comfortably,” Sebastian murmured quietly, and Marco smiled at them. “You thought right, Sebastian. Oscar has woken up a while ago, but he's asleep again. He was clear and talked to us, but he's in great pain, and he has developed a rather high fever, but that was too be expected after the long time he has lain in the cold rain, I guess.”

“It is good news that our baby was awake,” Mathilda said as she entered the room, “but I am worried about his fever.” She put the tray on a table under the window while Sebastian and Lars brought the cot to Oscar's bed, placing it before the foot-board. “You will need more cold water to cool him, and I will brew a tea from the lime blossom for him. It will help with the fever.” Mathilda's calmness was soothing, and Marco was grateful that she was there, knowing so well what to do to help a suffering child.

“Thank you, Mathilda, this would be of great help until Dr. Klopp has examined him again,” he thanked her, and the small cook nodded before ushering Sebastian and Lars out of the room again. “Our sweet boy needs to sleep undisturbed, and his father and Marco need some rest as well. “I'll put the tea before the door, Marco, you can pick it up there in about fifteen minutes. I will knock three times but not come in,” she promised after a quick glance in Lord Robert's direction, apparently not wanting to disturb them again.

The door closed before the young teacher could say anything more, and Marco returned to Oscar's bed and sat down on his chair again. He wasn't really hungry, and he could see that Robert didn't want to eat something at the moment either.

“Do you want to lie down and sleep for a while, Robert? I will watch Oscar in the meantime,” Marco asked quietly, and the dark-haired earl slowly turned his head to look at him. He was still holding Oscar's hand, but he unconsciously reached out for Marco's hand as well, clenching his cold fingers around Marco's warm ones.

“No, I couldn't sleep anyway.” Robert paused, chewing on his lips, and his uncertain gaze flickered back and forth between his son and Marco. “Do you regret our kiss?” he finally asked quietly, and his hoarse voice made Marco's heart beat faster and butterflies flutter around in his stomach.

“Of course not, Robert. How could I ever regret our wonderful kiss?” he asked gently, and Robert shrugged his shoulders. “I don't know, I'm just unsure, I guess,” he admitted, and Marco knew that he would never forget the way the young earl now looked at him.

“I meant what I said, Robert. I want to be your friend and even so much more to you if you want that too.” The blond teacher held his breath, waiting for Robert's answer, his eyes never leaving Robert's face.

The answer came by the dark-haired earl leaning in again, and Marco's eyes fell shut as he awaited Robert's next kiss. Their second kiss wasn't as hesitant as their first one had been, and Marco instinctively wrapped his arms around Robert's neck and kissed him back with all the passion and love he felt for him and which he had suppressed for so long. It was obvious that this was still new for the handsome lord, who was much more restricted in his doing and secret desires as an aristocrat than Marco as the simple teacher he actually was.

Marco had had a few encounters with other men, nothing really serious and only with two young men he had truly liked and trusted, careful to not damage his reputation and career before it had even begun. He had always wanted to be a teacher, and he knew quite well that he had to hide his true nature and his longing for another man if he didn't want to risk everything that was important to him.

But Marco had never felt like a sinner or a criminal just because he preferred to be with another man instead of a woman, and he sensed that he had to take the lead and show Robert how much he loved and desired him and that their feelings for each other were right and nothing that should be condemned.

Robert trembled in his arms like a bird trapped in a cage, and Marco could feel his exhaustion coming off in waves from him. The young father needed to sleep and find some rest, but the blond teacher knew that sleep and rest wouldn't come to Robert until he knew for sure that Oscar would survive this night. The fever was too high to not be concerned about it, and the quiet knocks on the door told him that he should break their kiss and go to the door to pick up the tea and the cold water.

Marco slowly drew back from Robert's swollen lips, resting his forehead against Robert's for a moment with closed eyes. He stroked his stubbly cheek and kissed the tip of his nose before pulling back to smile at him.

“I'll get the water and the tea, Robert,” he said, and the dark-haired earl nodded gratefully and drew in a shaky breath, rubbing his face with both hands in such a tired gesture that Marco's heart ached for him.

“You should really try to sleep for a few hours, Robert. You don't need to stay awake for the entire night. No one will think any less of you if you take care of yourself to be there for Oscar when he's awake again and needs you then. You rescued him from this ledge without even thinking of your own safety, please don't think that you have to stay awake because of me,” he almost pleaded, but Robert shook his head, lifting his chin up defiantly just like Marco knew it from his sweet son. The handsome earl looked at him with red-rimmed blue eyes, the deep lines around his mouth telling a story about too many worries and too little sleep over not only the past couple of days, but weeks, months, perhaps even years.

Something was weighing heavily on Robert's troubled mind and his shoulders, and Marco realized that Robert had to share his burden with someone at first before he could find the rest and peace of mind again he needed so badly, and Robert's next words proved to the blond teacher that he had been right with his suspicion.

“I can't sleep, Marco, not now. I... I need to tell you about my past beforehand. Maybe, you will hate me afterwards when you finally know the whole truth about me.”


	17. Robert's Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oscar has finally woken up, but he is in a rather bad shape and needs Robert's and Marco's care. When Oscar has fallen asleep again, Robert decides to tell Marco the story of his past...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is surely the most important chapter of the entire story, and I have to warn you that it is rather sad, but Robert's story simply had to be a sad one. It explains Robert's behavior and the problems he has had with Oscar, I hope that you won't hate me too much after reading it. <33

“You really don't need to tell me anything, Robert,” Marco assured the dark-haired earl gently, but Robert shook his head with a sigh, moving a little bit to the side and away from the younger man. “Yes, I have to, Marco, you deserve to know what happened ten years ago. Maybe, you will hate me after knowing the truth, but I couldn't live with lying to you.”

The young teacher sensed that Robert hadn't drawn back from him because he didn't want him any longer, but only because he needed some space to tell his story, and so he only nodded and accepted the distance between them without feeling hurt.

“Of course, Robert, if that's what you need, then I will listen to you and gladly share your burden with you. But I know for sure that I won't hate you afterwards. I could never hate you. You are a wonderful man, no matter what you might think about yourself, and a man loving his son as deeply as you're doing can never be a man I could ever hate.”

“We will see.” Robert licked over his dry lips and looked down at Oscar, who was sound asleep now, his cheeks shining in an angry red in his small face because of his high fever. Robert's hand twitched as if he wanted to stroke his son's face, but he bit down on his bottom lip instead and balled his hands in his lap to keep himself from waking Oscar up, obviously struggling to find the right words to start his story with.

His voice was low and quiet when he began to speak, but Marco could hear the self-loathe in it nevertheless, and seeing how much Robert hated himself hurt him much more than Robert's former coldness and his yelling at the summer ball had hurt him.

“I had just turned eighteen when my father called me to his office one rainy morning.” Robert's blue eyes stared at the wall behind Oscar's bed now, clearly not seeing the shelf with the books upon it, but the things that had happened such a long time ago, and which were obviously still haunting him in his memories and his dreams so badly.

“I don't know why I hadn't seen it before this day how sick he was, probably because I just didn't want to see it, but in this moment when I stood before his large wooden desk, I finally saw the truth and realized that my father wouldn't be there any more to celebrate my nineteenth birthday with me the next year.”

Marco's throat clenched when he saw the pain flickering over Robert's exhausted features, and he had to ball his own hands to resist the overwhelming urge and touch the young lord who didn't consider himself worthy to be loved, but who deserved love and happiness as much as his sweet son deserved it.

“I had just fallen in love for the first time when my father decided to tell me the truth about his disease. His name was Thomas and we had met in Mannheim where I had studied after years of not having seen each other. I had come back home for the holidays only, and I longed to go back to the large and with activity buzzing city that seemed to be so much more appealing to me than the small city of Bad Bergzabern where only old or sick people lived. I hated the atmosphere of such health resorts like the town where my father preferred to live - the smell of transience and illness that lingered in every corner of the city, in the streets and between the buildings and just everywhere I went when I had to accompany him to his old friends.”

Robert's voice was strangely impassive, and it made his narration even more intensive and painful to listen to. Marco felt cold shivers run down his spine even though Oscar's room was warm enough to make him sweat.

“My father told me that he wouldn't be able to find his peace of mind before his death without seeing me becoming married to a suitable young lady and her carrying my child beforehand, and he also told me that he had already made some arrangements and that my wedding with the suitable young lady he had chosen for me would take place in three weeks.”

Marco stared at the young earl with eyes wide in shock, but Robert ignored him and kept looking at the wall, his eyes dry and his voice firm, but his face was white like snow and his expression filled with the pain he still felt because of his dark memories.

“Her name was Anna, and she was beautiful, gentle and kind, and everything every young man could wish for from his wife. Every young man except for the one who had already given his heart to someone else – to her brother Thomas.”

Marco's hand flew to his mouth to keep the strangled cry inside that wanted to flee his throat. His heart was pounding in his chest, and the air in Oscar's bedroom seemed to be too thick and heavy to breathe it in all of a sudden. Marco gasped loudly, but Robert simply went on with his story.

“I hadn't seen Anna in a rather long time, more than ten years actually. I had played with her and Thomas when we had been children, but our families had lost contact over the years after my mother's death, and Anna's and Thomas' parents preferred to spend their time in Italy while their children stayed in Germany under the care of their aunt. It had been only a few months ago that I had seen Thomas again when he had began to study in Mannheim at the university as well, and we had fallen in love right at first sight, unable to fight against our strong feelings. I tried to tell my father that I couldn't marry Anna, but he refused to listen to me, and seeing him so sick and weak as he actually was, I couldn't say anything against his wish.”

Silence fell over the room for a moment, and Marco wasn't ashamed of the tears running over his face. He knew what Robert would tell him next, and he wanted to put the young earl's finger onto his lips and tell him that he didn't need to say anything more, that he knew, but the blond teacher sensed that Robert needed to get rid of the venom deep inside him and which had poisoned him for so long.

It must be terribly painful for him to awake all those memories had had run away from for years, but the wound deep inside his heart and his soul wouldn't heal if it didn't get cleaned eventually, and Robert telling him about his past was what he needed to do to clean his wound so it wouldn't bleed any longer and finally, finally start to heal. There would always be scars left, but scars didn't hurt as much as open wounds did, Marco at least hoped that they wouldn't hurt Robert as much as the still bleeding wound did.

“I only met Anna again on our wedding day. She had asked her brother to be her best man, and Thomas couldn't say no to his beloved sister – just like I hadn't been able to say no to my dying father. I don't remember much of this day, we married in Bad Bergzabern because my father was too sick to travel long distances any longer, and the only thing I remember clearly is Thomas' snow-white face when he listened to the priest's words that married his sister to his secret lover.”

Robert unclenched his fists, and Marco could see the tiny red droplets in his palm where his nails had dug into the tender skin.

“I still remember every detail of my wedding night though. I had never really been intimate with anyone before. I know that some other young aristocrats or 'gentlemen' seek their pleasure with prostitutes or by forcing the maidservants serving in their parents' households into their bed, but I always found the mere thought of doing that disgusting. Not to mention that I wasn't interested in women anyway. Thomas and I had wanted to wait with sleeping with each other and we had taken things slow. There had never been more than some kissing and stroking happening between us until that day, and no one had talked to me and given me some advice how to take a young woman's virginity without hurting her. I had just celebrated my eighteenth birthday, I had just grown out of childhood myself, and I felt too young to be responsible for a wife and a child on my own...”

Marco cautiously and gently touched his arm, expecting Robert to pull away from his hand, but the young earl didn't, turning his head to finally look at him again. “I didn't mean to hurt her, Marco. I wasn't drunk or angry, I just didn't know how to do it. She had never lain with another man of course either, and we were both inexperienced and didn't know what to do and how things worked. I was so clumsy and I hurt her pretty bad even though I did my best to pleasure her. She was so tight and so... she didn't help me, Marco, she didn't talk to me, just looked at me with distant eyes... It was a nightmare, the worst thing I had ever had to do... I still don't know how I managed to... finish... I guess it was my father's words echoing in my head... that he wanted to see her pregnant with his grandchild before he would die...”

“It wasn't your fault, Robert, not at all!” Marco cleared his throat, flinching at the rusty sound of his voice, desperately searching for words to console the man he loved and take the weight of his guilt from his shoulders. Robert pressed his lips to a thin line, shaking his head again.

“Yes it was, Marco! She was nineteen, a year older than I was, but she looked so young and fragile, and I felt like raping her even though she was my wife and had told me that she wanted me to sleep with her before we went to bed. But she wasn't ready for it, and neither was I. Anna didn't let me touch her again after that night, but three weeks later, she started to feel sick in the morning, throwing up everything she tried to eat or drink before noon. My father was out of his mind with joy, but as strange and sad as it sounds, his joy was what killed him in the end. He suffered a stroke shortly after he found out about Anna's pregnancy, and I had to bury him six weeks after our wedding.”

Robert absentmindedly stroked over Marco's hand, pulling it between his own hands as if Marco's fingers were his only lifeline.

“The day after the funeral, Thomas visited me one last time. I hadn't seen him since our wedding, and he only came to tell me that he would leave Germany and visit America for a long time. His family had friends there, and he told me that he couldn't stay here and see me being together with his sister. My heart felt like breaking, but I understood his feelings and it was the best for both of us. Anna chose the minute we kissed goodbye to enter the room.”

Marco gasped for air, his mind spinning from all the things he had just heard. He didn't know how Robert had managed to stay sane during these horrible weeks that had changed his life forever when he had been hardly more than a boy, and his love for him made his heart race and his vision blur.

“It was only one last kiss with closed lips, just a farewell kiss, but it was enough for her to realize the truth. I will never forget the way Anna looked back and forth between Thomas and me. Her voice was calm and she kissed Thomas on his cheeks and wished him all the best before she left, locking herself in her rooms, refusing to see either me or him again. Thomas left my house shortly after, I've never seen him again ever since then. I wrote him several letters, but he never answered to them. I only hope that he is fine wherever he is.

The next morning, Anna told me that she wanted to visit a friend she knew from the school she had visited. Susanne lived in Landau with her husband, and I couldn't say no to Anna's wish. Anna refused to come back to me though, wanting to stay with Susanne and her family even after our child would be born, and all that I could do was to visit her as often as I could without neglecting my duties and my business that granted her a good life.  
Susanne's older brother lived on an estate near Landau, and I realized that Anna had always loved him when I saw them together when I visited her. Her father had did the same to her as my own father had done to me, condemning her to live her life with someone she could never love while her heart belonged to someone else. I know that she didn't cheat on me with Gustav, Susanne's brother told me after Anna's death that she had always been faithful – just like I had been.

Not that I had ever thought that she would cheat on me with another man, she took her vows seriously even though she didn't love me. To be honest, I don't think that I would have minded if she had found some happiness in his arms, but they were only friends. It wasn't her fault that she loved Gustav, just like I hadn't been able to not fall in love with her brother. Gustav suffered visibly, but she was pregnant with my son, and Gustav respected that and treated her with respect and care. I know that there have been rumors about Anna cheating on me with other men, but I know the truth, and that's all that matters to me.

A few weeks before the birth was due, she started to bleed and feel sick again, and Oscar was born after eight months only, a tiny and crying bundle. Anna went through the labors for more than one day, I had just come back from a short but important business trip to Mannheim. I rode all night long to get to her in time, and I still remember the moment the midwife told me to cut the umbilical cord.  
I know that husbands are normally not allowed to stay when their wives give birth, but Anna's midwife always told the husbands to stay and help, and I am still deeply grateful that she did. I will never forget the overwhelming wave of love coursing through me when the midwife laid Oscar in my arms for the first time. He was so small and fragile and yet so strong, crying his lungs out about the injustice of having been thrown into this cold and unfriendly world far too soon.

Anna had lost too much blood though, and she didn't recover from the long and exhausting hours but died a couple of days after that night. I think that she had lost her will to live and just surrendered to her disease.  
Susanne asked me to let her rest in Landau instead of Bad Bergzabern where my father is buried, and I agreed to her wish. Susanne had been more a sister to her than a friend, and Anna had preferred to live in Landau. It was the last thing I could do for her.

Mathilda was of invaluable help within the first hard months when Oscar was crying all night long, and she found a wonderful nurse for Oscar, Erik's sister Lisa, a young mother with a baby who lived near Castle Lindelborn with her family, a castle I had inherited against my will.  
I have come to love Castle Lindelborn over the last ten years although I never thought that this would ever happen. But I spent most of Oscar's first three years here, and the beauty of the landscape and the quiet and peace healed my wounded heart and my soul. I only went back to Bad Bergzabern to spend the winter months there when my son was older. Oscar doesn't like Bad Bergzabern either, he's much happier here on top of the mountain.”

Robert looked down at his sleeping son, and this time he reached out with his hand to stroke his smooth cheek with tender fingers. “I was so young, just an eighteen years old scared young man who thought that the weight of responsibility and duties burdened on his shoulders would crush him, but I knew for sure that I would always love and protect my sweet son with all I have, even giving my own life for him without thinking. Knowing that Oscar needed me helped me to grow up and become stronger and braver than I had ever thought I could be. Knowing that he needed me helped me to go on and not give up and let the guilt, self-hate and shame I felt after all what had happened erase the last shreds of sanity and strength that were still left in me. Oscar is my son, and I love him more than my own life, even though I failed to show him my love most of the time.”

Marco turned to the side to cup Robert's face with his free hand. The dark-haired earl still held his other hand between his own, and the young teacher was grateful that Robert accepted his comfort and didn't push him away after his confession.

“I admire you, Robert. I admire you for all that you had to go through and to endure, and for the strength and willpower that makes you the admirable and lovable man you actually are. I cannot even begin to understand how you must have felt being so young and uncertain when some cruel fate chose to test you and put such burdens onto your shoulders. I'm not hating you after knowing about your past, not at all, quite the opposite. I love you even more than I've already loved you before I knew about your past, and I will always be there for you and Oscar – if you want that too, that is.”

Marco let Robert see all of his love as he now looked at him, and he held his breath, hoping that the young earl would ask him to stay with Oscar and him. He had suspected that there must have been another man in Robert's life before, a man he had loved and desired, and Marco felt unsure and self-conscious all of a sudden. He was not one of the young gentlemen Robert normally encountered, he was just a simple teacher and surely neither special nor as handsome and sophisticated as Robert's other acquaintances normally were. He felt actually jealous of this unknown Thomas even though he tried hard to not let his uncertainty and jealousy display on his face as he waited for Robert's answer.

“There is nothing I want more than you staying here with Oscar and me, Marco. I love you more than I had thought that I could ever love anyone else except for my son again, more than I have loved Thomas. I was eighteen when I fell in love with him, and my love for him was more the love of a boy than the love of a grown up man. I wasn't ready for the consequences of this love, and this is what destroyed so many lives. I can't bring myself to really regret it though, because my cowardice and my inability to tell my father the truth brought Oscar into my life, and I can't regret having him, never. Oscar has been the center of my life until I met you and my love for you is the love of a grown up man, but I can't grant you the place by my side you deserved to have, Marco. It's not that I don't want to, but I can't risk Oscar losing his father and his life because of our love, and you can never be more than Oscar's teacher in public.”

Marco smiled and bent forward to kiss Robert gently on his lips. “I know that, Robert. I would never ask you to do that, I'm neither silly nor that innocent or selfish to not know the consequences if we displayed our love openly in public. That's not what I'm asking from you. We will find a way to be together without putting Oscar or ourselves in danger, I know that for sure. The only important thing at the moment is that Oscar will recover from his injuries, everything else can wait. I will be there whenever you'll need me, and I won't go anywhere.”

Robert let go of his hand to take Marco in his arms instead. He buried his face on Marco's shoulder and Marco held him tight and did the same, closing his eyes and breathing in Robert's wonderful scent.

“Thank you for telling me your story, Robert. Thank you for trusting me enough. I know how hard it must have been for you, and I will never betray the trust you've put in me.” Marco pressed a gentle kiss onto the earl's shoulder, and Robert rewarded him with a small sigh.

“It wasn't as hard as I feared it would be. It was a relief to get it off my chest.” Robert drew back a little bit to look at Marco. “With you, everything seems to be so easy and natural, Marco. With you, I feel brave and worthy and strong. I love you so much that it scares the hell out of me but at the same time, I am happy that I feel this way. I was dead inside for far too long.”

Marco smiled at him. “I love you just as much. There is still a long way ahead of us, but together, we will be fine, I promise you, Robert.”

“I trust you, Marco.” Robert leaned in and Marco closed his eyes to savor their tender kiss, a kiss that was the end and a new start at the same time. This tender and yet passionate kiss ended the long years of Robert's loneliness and heartbreak, and it was the start of their new and changed relationship, a relationship that was already so strong and which would become stronger with every day they would be together.

Marco was aware that he had been right with what he had said, there was still a long way to go for them, but now that they had each other, they would manage to do that, and Marco pulled Robert close and kissed him back with all the love he felt for him, promising silently to himself that he would never betray the faith and trust Robert, Earl of Lindelborn had set in him, but always love him and stand by his side no matter what fate would throw at them.


	18. Father And Son

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert has told Marco his story, and they have come very close. How will Oscar react to this change in their relationship?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only two more chapters left of this story...
> 
> I want to gift this chapter to the unknown faithful reader who has left so many guest kudos on a regular basis on several of my stories over the past weeks, especially on this one. Their guest kudos are one of the few reasons why I haven't given up posting in the football fandom at all because the lack of feedback on most of my last stories is really more than frustrating and discouraging. Writing this chapter was really hard for me because I have lost my joy to write for this fandom completely, but I tried my best to make this at least readable, I hope that it isn't too bad.
> 
> I have so many subscribers, but only four or five are willing to leave their user kudos or comments for me or bookmark my stories, and I'm asking myself for whom and why I strain myself that much. I will try to finish this story, but I am not sure about most of my other unfinished WIPs in this fandom, so if you want me to finish at least some of them, let me know by leaving kudos and/or comments on them, because I really don't want to write for silent readers only any longer.

Robert suppressed a pained groan as he slowly woke up from his fitful slumber of exhaustion on the chair beside his son's bed. The last three days had been a seemingly endless array of watching Oscar's sleep and listening to his groans and cries his pain and hallucinations had pulled from him even in his sleep, their attempts to get his fever down by washing him with cold water every few hours, and their desperate tries to feed the writhing and whining boy with water, tea and broth when he had been awake for a couple of minutes.

Robert didn't know whether it was day or night, he had lost all tracks of time during their fight against Oscar's sickness, and he needed several moments before his red-rimmed hurting eyes were able to see the grayish early daylight falling through the halfway closed curtains of Oscar's bedroom. At least Robert thought that it had to be daylight because he had taken turns with lying down on the small cot with Marco somewhere in the middle of the night, and Robert didn't think that he had slept on the chair for an entire day without Mathilda looking for them or Oscar waking up from his pain in between.

The young earl lifted one hand to massage the kinks out of his stiff neck and stretch his hurting limbs, but the small voice coming from the bed startled him, and his vertebra cracked loudly when he turned his head too fast to look down at his son.

“Daddy?” Oscar's face was hollow and thin, his ruffled brown hair a dark contrast to his snow-white skin and the white pillow he lay upon. But his eyes looked clear for the first time within three days, and Robert couldn't hold back the sob of relief when he reached out to stroke his cheek and touch his forehead.

His son was still rather warm, but the high fever had finally broken, and Robert's eyes filled with tears of gratitude and love as he smiled tenderly at his sweet son.

“Darling, you're awake! How do you feel?” he whispered to not disturb Marco, who had been awake almost constantly over the past twenty-four hours, reading to Oscar until his voice had been hardly more than a croak. That the younger man hadn't woken up from Oscar's question and his own answer was proof enough that he needed to sleep more than anything, and Robert would let him sleep and tell him the good news later.

“I'm thirsty.” Oscar's voice was raspy and hoarse, but Robert was sure that he had never heard anything sweeter and more wonderful in his entire life so far.

“Of course, you are, darling. Let me help you drink some tea.” He gently lifted his son's head to help him drink from the now cold tea Mathilda had brewed a couple of hours ago, lifting the cup to his lips. Oscar emptied the cup in tiny gulps, spilling some of the tea onto his chin in the process. Robert gently wiped it away with a cloth, his eyes roaming almost greedily over Oscar's features to search for any sign of discomfort. Oscar must be hurting all over from his fever, but he turned and moved his head without crying out in pain like he had done only one day ago, so his headache seemed to be less torturous at least.

“Thank you, daddy.” Oscar groaned a little bit when his father lowered him down onto his pillow again, his gaze flickering unsteadily around as if he was searching for something. Robert stroked his cheek and smiled tenderly at him. “Marco is sleeping on the cot at the foot of your bed, darling. We need to be quiet not to wake him up. He hasn't slept more than a few hours over the past days, reading 'Treasure Island' to you. It was the only way to keep you from thrashing around, and he read to you until his throat was sore and his voice giving up. He will read it to you again when you're feeling better, but he needs to rest his voice for a couple of days before doing that.”

Oscar licked over his dry lips as he looked over to the cot where only a shock of tousled blond hair was visible under the white blanket Robert had covered the young teacher with before sitting down on the chair for his night watch.

“Marco really did that for me? He read the entire book to me while I was sick?” Robert wanted to cry when he saw Oscar's eyes light up with pure bliss even though his face was still contorted with pain.

“Yes, he did, darling. How do you feel now. What about your headache? Is it still torturing you as much as it did yesterday?” Dr. Klopp had visited them every day and examined Oscar, content with the healing process of Oscar's wrist and his foot, but worried about his fever and his concussion. He had left them some medicine, but Oscar had refused to take it, starting to cry and writhe when he had seen the spoon with the bitter drops.

“My arm and my leg still hurt, but I'm not dizzy any longer, and the headache is gone.” Oscar tried to sit up, and Robert helped him, remembering how grateful he had been when he had been able to sit for a while after having lain in his bed for days when he had been sick as a boy. He tugged the blanket around his son and offered him his teddy that had sat before the footboard of the bed while Oscar had been too feverish to even notice his beloved plushy.

Oscar pressed Mr. Pebbles against his small chest and looked up at his father. “You won't send Marc... Mr. Reus away, will you, daddy? When I'm well again, I mean.” he asked, and Robert shook his head and smiled reassuringly at his son.

“No, darling, you don't have to fear that I will do that. Marco will be a part of our family as long as he wants to be. I will never send him away again, I promise you.” He paused, searching for the right words to tell Oscar the change in his relationship with Marco without making it too obvious and confuse or scare the young boy. Oscar was still weak and needed to rest, but the young father sensed that his son would recover much better and faster when he didn't need to worry about his beloved teacher leaving him anywhere in the near future, and Robert also didn't want to lie to his son. There had been enough lies in the past, lies and so many unspoken things and feelings between them, and they had caused great damage to their own relationship.

“Marco and I have become close friends, darling – very close friends. I wouldn't have been able to rescue you without him, and I can't imagine our life without him in it anymore. He cares deeply about you – just as much as I care about you. He truly loves you, Oscar.”

Oscar beamed at his father. “I love him too, very much,” he admitted almost shyly, his gaze wandering back to the cot. “Do you think that he would mind it if I called him Marco in the future, daddy?”

Robert swallowed against the thick lump in his throat. “No, darling, I'm sure that Marco wouldn't mind that. On the contrary, he will be happy if you call him Marco from now on. But you must understand that you'll have to address him with Mr. Reus when strangers are around, Oscar. Not in front of Mathilda or Sebastian of course, but when there are real strangers, visitors or so. As much as I hate to say it, but we'll have to keep up appearances in public. Marco knows that, and he is fine with that.”

Oscar surprised him when he nodded sincerely. “Of course, daddy. It's the same with you and me. I would never call you 'daddy' in front of other people than our family, only 'father'. I know that I can't call Marco by his birthname when others are around, Mathilda and Sebastian have explained to me why this could cause some trouble. I won't put him or you to shame, I promise you.”

Robert bent forward to kiss his son on his forehead. “I know that you wouldn't do that, darling. Please don't think that I wouldn't like it much better if we could treat Marco like an equal, because I really wished we could.”

“I know, daddy.” Oscar took the cup his father offered him to drink more tea, leaning against the headboard of his bed. It was obvious that he was chewing on something, and Robert waited patiently until his son had worked up the courage to talk about it.

“Is it wrong that I have dreamed of Marco being some kind of father for me as well, daddy?” the young boy finally whispered, peering at his father from under his eyelashes. “Not because I love him more than I love you, daddy, but just because he would be there for me when you have to leave me for a while because of your business trips.”

Robert moved from the chair to the edge of the bed to take his son in his arms. Oscar snuggled against him, his teddy trapped between his father's chest and his own body. “No, darling, it isn't wrong at all, quite the opposite. I would be happy if you would welcome Marco as your other daddy. It would make it easier for me to go on my business trips, and I know for sure that Marco would be very happy about that too.”

“But what will happen to him if you marry again one day, daddy? Will my new stepmother accept Marco as my other dad next to you?” Oscar didn't sound as if he found the thought of his father marrying another wife and presenting him with a stepmother very appealing. The young earl swallowed and took a deep breath. “I don't want to marry again, Oscar. Marco and I... like each other a lot. I could never like another woman as much as I like him...” his voice trailed off, and he felt awkward and didn't know how to explain his feelings to his son. Oscar was very mature for his age, but he was still a ten-year-old boy, and Robert really didn't want to scare his son with his deepest desires and hidden needs.

“I see. Does Marco feel the same way? Maybe he wants to marry a beautiful young woman one day?” Oscar looked questioningly at him, and Robert shook his head. “No, Oscar, Marco doesn't want to marry a young woman either.”

Oscar nodded with apparent relief, and Robert stroked his hair while he waited for his son to digest what he had just heard. “There was a teacher in the Berwartstein. His name was Weigl, Mr. Julian Weigl. He was really nice, he never used the stick on his pupils, and he never yelled at us. He listened to his students without interrupting them, and he was patient and explained his lessons to us without being angry when one of us didn't understand it right away. But Mr. Pepper fired him because Karl told him that he had seen Mr. Weigl holding hands with another young man. Mr. Pepper said that someone like him couldn't teach young boys, but Mr. Weigl never did anything wrong, and I didn't understand why it should be wrong that he liked holding hands with his friend better than holding hands with a young woman.”

“There is nothing wrong about that, darling, but a lot of people don't understand such feelings.” Robert kissed Oscar on his hair, amazed about his wonderful son. “Would you like holding hands with Marco, daddy?”

“Yes, I would.” Robert flinched at the hoarse sound of his voice, but Oscar smiled at him. “Good. Then I don't need to worry that he will leave us.”

“No, you don't need to worry about that. But Marco and I can't hold hands in public, and I have to call him Mr. Reus when we're not alone, Oscar.”

“I thought so.” Oscar sighed, playing with his teddy and peering up at his father again. “Did... did you love mommy, daddy?”

Robert pulled his son close. “Yes, I did, darling. I loved her very much. She was the kindest and most beautiful young woman in the world, and I could never love another woman like I loved her,” he said, and he really meant what he had said to Oscar. It hadn't been Anna's fault that their marriage hadn't been a happy one, and Robert had loved her as much as he could love a woman.

“But Karl said that mommy and you didn't live together, that she lived somewhere else and that she... was unfaithful to you,” Oscar whispered, and Robert's vision blurred with utter dismay. A cold hand seemed to wrap itself around his throat, and his heart clenched with pain and fear. “He said that I am not your son, that I am a bastard and that she... that mommy...” A strangled sob made its way to the earl's ear, and hot tears prickled behind Robert's closed eyelids. He wrapped his arms tightly around his trembling son and dabbed desperate kisses onto his hair and his temples.

“That's not true, darling! I swear I will tie this Karl to a tree myself if I'll ever meet him!” the dark-haired earl growled when he had found his tongue again after the first moment of shock and horror. “This brat really deserves much worse than only being tied naked to a tree for a night!”

“Daddy!” Oscar stared up at his face with wide eyes, but he seemed to be pleased about his father's outburst, because he nestled against his chest and let go of his teddy to wrap his own arms around him.

Robert inhaled and exhaled slowly to calm himself down. “Your mommy and I loved each other, darling. She was never unfaithful to me, and you are my son, there is no doubt about that. Don't you ever think that you are not because this would be a lie! Your mommy became pregnant with you shortly after our wedding, and she wasn't well and needed to live in a bigger city than Bad Bergzabern to get the medical support she needed. Her friend in Landau could offer her the comfort and help she needed and which I couldn't offer her in Bad Bergzabern, that's why she moved to Landau and stayed with her best friend, who was more a sister to her. Your grandfather had died a couple of weeks after our wedding, and I had to see to all the things that came with inheriting his business, the castle and the other houses, so I couldn't go with her. This Karl is a liar, and he only told you that to hurt you! You are my son, and I love you more than anything! I know that I haven't shown you how much I love you over the last years, and I am more sorry for that than you'll ever know, but I will make up for my behavior until the day I die, I promise you, darling.”

Oscar relaxed in his arms, smiling shyly at him. “I believe you,” he whispered, looking at the small cot again. “Can we visit mommy's grave in Landau when I'm better again, daddy? It has been a long time since we've last been there.”

Robert nodded, closing his eyes for a moment. “Of course we can do that, darling. We will bring her the roses she loved so much and tell her how happy we are and how much we still love her, what do you think?”

“I'd like that, daddy. Will Marco come with us?”

“He's a part of our family now, your other dad, Oscar. He will go where we go,” Robert murmured against his temples.

“I love you, daddy.” Oscar sounded utterly happy.

“I love you too, darling.” Robert gently lowered his son down onto the bed again, and the young boy took his teddy and closed his eyes with a happy smile on his face. “I'm feeling much better, daddy, I'm hurting much less and I'm really happy. Do you think that Marco will allow me to call him papa one day?”

Robert felt his temperature again, pleased that Oscar's forehead was cool now. “I do believe that Marco would love that, darling and I am happy too, very happy. Go back to sleep, you still need to rest, Oscar. Marco will be awake when you wake up again, then you can talk to him and tell him what we've talked about and ask him if he'd like to be called papa by you. I'm sure that he will be very happy about that.”

“I will do that!” Oscar sighed and pressed Mr. Pebbles against his chest, his features relaxing as his breathing slowed down. Robert sat back on his chair, watching his son going back to sleep before looking over to the cot where Marco had turned on his other side without waking up, snoring slightly because of his exhaustion. The young earl's chest swelled with all the love he felt for both, his sweet son and the young man who had taught him how to trust and love again, and for a moment he feared that his heart would burst with all the love and happiness he felt.

“Daddy?” Oscar's slurred words brought his attention back to his son, and he turned his head and asked: “Yes, darling?”

“Can I call Marco by his birthname or papa when Mathilda and the others are around? Mathilda, Sebastian, Helena, Jenny, Erik and Nuri are family and not strangers, aren't they?”

Robert chuckled quietly and nodded his head. “Yes darling, of course you can do that. Mathilda and the others are family as well.”


	19. Another Interesting Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco and Robert can finally leave Oscar's sickbed for a couple of hours to spend some time together alone and undisturbed, trying to dine with each other for a second time...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing is really one of the hardest things to do for me at the moment, I hope that my issues don't show in this chapter too much. Real life has not been friendly over the last week either, but I really want to finish this story. I had actually planned to finally get them into bed, but Robert and Marco insisted on another dinner and more talking beforehand.  
> I would really be grateful for your kudos and your comments, without them, there is no reason for me to write and finish any of my stories at all any longer. <33

Marco carefully hung the towel over the hook before he crossed his chamber to step before the window and watch the sun go down under the horizon, a large ball glowing in a deep and beautiful orange color.

The young teacher let out a small sigh without really noticing it, dwelling in the warmth that still lingered on his skin from the hot bath he had taken a couple of minutes ago. He felt tired and restless at the same time, unsure what to do with himself within the next hours. Marco had spent the last five days sitting beside Oscar's bed twenty-four hours a day without any break except for the few hours when he had lain down on the small cot to close his eyes for a couple of moments, and it felt strange to be alone in his own room after the long time that had passed and which he had spent in Oscar's and Robert's permanent company. Marco had used his chamber only to change into fresh clothes and always hurried to go back to Oscar as quickly as possible, and he felt almost homesick even though this was of course ridiculous because they were both still in Castle Lindelborn, the castle that had become Marco's real home over the past weeks.

Oscar's chamber was only a few meters away from his own, but it felt as if there were hundreds of miles between them as the blond stared outside with stinging eyes, and Marco was torn between his wish to go back to the small boy he had come to care so much about and his relief to finally have some time on his own.

Oscar's recovery was making very good progress and this afternoon, the boy had ordered his father and his beloved teacher to leave him alone and not come back until the next morning after breakfast, telling them strictly that he would become very upset and angry and send them back to their own rooms right away again if they didn't obey his order.

 

***

 

_“I am really well enough again to sleep without you watching me all night, daddy! I am a ten-year-old boy, and I have slept without you sitting at my bed when I have been sick before my foolish adventure. Marco and you look pale and exhausted, and it would endanger my own recovery if the two of you became sick because of my stupidity! I want to go on a ride with Marco and you as soon as possible, just like you promised me, daddy, and I really want to show you the things Marco and I have explored and discovered during our outdoor lessons! But we can't do that if you will stay with me all day and night long, sleeping in a chair or on the small cot instead of your own comfortable beds. Mathilda, Helena and Jenny will take care of me and stay with me as long as I am not allowed to leave my bed, and I don't want to see you again before tomorrow after breakfast!”_

_Marco and Robert had both stared dumbfounded at the young boy scowling up at them with narrowed eyes and pouting lips, Oscar's little speech having stunned them into astonished silence._

_The dark-haired earl had opened his mouth to object to his son's wish but snapped it shut again when he had heard three women clear their throats warningly, the impressive aristocrat gazing pleadingly at Marco for help, but Marco's own protest had died on his lips when the small boy had silently pointed at the door, the frown on his forehead increasing visibly._

_“I guess we're overruled, Robert,” the blond had finally shrugged, “even Mr. Pebble looks as if he had something to do with this plot against us.”_

_Oscar's teddy had indeed looked very displeased at Lord Robert and Marco still standing before his owner's bed, and Sebastian opening the door with more noise than necessary had been the sign for them to finally leave Oscar's bedroom and do as they had been told._

_Then, they had stood in the corridor before the closed door in awkward silence, unsure what to say to each other being alone with each other for the first time in days._

_Robert had eventually cleared his throat and smiled at him. “Will you allow me to visit you later and invite you to another dinner Marco? As much as I long to be alone with you, but I must admit that I would be grateful to have a few minutes to myself, and I really need a bath and a proper shaving to feel comfortable again.”_

_Marco had smiled at him, needing much the same although the thought of being apart from the man he loved was like a physical ache in his body._

_“I will wait for your call in my room,” he had said, his voice still hoarse from the long hours of reading, and Robert had nodded and kissed him on his cheek before turning around to almost run away from him, his male scent still lingering in the air when he had been long out of sight._

 

***

 

His bath had already been prepared when he had entered his chamber, confirming his suspicion that Oscar, Sebastian and Mathilda had worked together to plot against them and grant Robert and him some time on their own, and to know that his friends approved of his love for Robert touched him deeply and made him feel humble and grateful.

It was actually nice to feel clean and wear fresh clothes again, but Marco became more and more nervous the more time passed, fearing that Robert had changed his mind and wouldn't call for him, now that they had finally the chance to spend an entire evening together.

And perhaps even an entire night.

The prospect of coming closer to he handsome young earl with the dark hair and the deep blue eyes sent shivers down on Marco's spine, and the young teacher flinched when a quiet knock at his door sounded through his chamber all of a sudden.

“Come in!” he called after clearing his throat, expecting Lars or Jenny to open the door and tell him that Lord Lando wished to see him. His breath hitched in his throat when Robert's tall and slim figure itself appeared in the doorway, and the strong wave of desire coursing through him at the beautiful sight in front of him made him dizzy and tingling with longing.

Robert had bathed and shaved, his slightly tanned skin shimmering softly and golden in the last light of the setting sun, and Marco craved to touch the soft strands of dark hair curling at the nape of his neck. The young earl wore simple black trousers and a white casual shirt with rolled up sleeves, the first two buttons left open to reveal the delicate curve of his collarbone. The simple clothing increased Robert's maleness in a mouthwatering way, and he radiated strength and power and made Marco's knees buckle with longing and desire.

“Rob... Lord Lando... you shouldn't have come yourself...” the young teacher stammered, feeling shy and confused all of a sudden, swallowing desperately against the dryness in his mouth.

The older man crossed the room with firm steps, coming to a halt close before Marco. “It's Robert for you when we're alone or among friends, Marco, remember? Only Robert and never Lord Lando,” he whispered as he reached out with his hand to touch Marco's burning cheeks with tender fingertips. “I know that the society we're living in wouldn't agree with me, but we're equals, Marco, and I love you, more than I can tell you. Please don't call me 'lord' when no stranger is around. It will be hurtful enough hearing you having to address me with my stupid title when we're among all those people who consider outer appearances and formalities more important than love and friendship.”

Marco pressed his face into the tender touch with a weak chuckle, closing his eyes for a precious moment and relaxing his muscles. “I'm sorry, Robert. It's just that I feel as if I was still dreaming all of this. Your love, Oscar's love... I didn't think that I would ever find this - not only love but a family I would belong to - really belong to, I mean. Oscar is like my own son, and you... I love you so much that it hurts, Robert.”

“I know, it's the same for me, Marco. And Oscar loves you like a father, don't you doubt that.” The young earl leaned in to lay his lips upon Marco's trembling mouth, and the blond teacher wrapped his arms around him and kissed him back with all the love he felt for him, the beauty of their first real kiss after long days and nights of worries and doubts making his eyes become wet with tears of emotion. Robert's ardent kiss assured him that his love and his desire was returned as their tongues danced and battled playfully with each other and Marco melted against his strong frame with a small purr and lost himself in the older man's tight and loving embrace.

Robert still loved him, nothing had changed between them, and this was all Marco needed to know.

 

***

 

Marco stopped on the threshold to take a look around, and he had to admit that Robert's chambers were not what he had expected them to be like. Oscar hadn't shown him the private rooms of his father when they had explored the castle during their nightly excursion, when Oscar had come to him in the disguise of the ghost Kuno, and Marco of course hadn't asked him if they could visit them, not wanting to intrude on the young earl's privacy.

Somehow, the young teacher had thought that the master bedroom of such an old castle would be furnished with dark oak, heavy shelves and curtains and large cabinets, but the large chamber Robert had brought him to was totally different from what he had imagined it to be. Marco hadn't really paid attention when he had walked through the corridors side by side with Robert, his mind too occupied with the forthcoming events to notice which part of the castle they had gone to, but it couldn't be the first floor of the palas where the lord of the castle normally resided.

The part of the chamber he could see from where he stood in the doorway was bright and friendly, the shelves attached to the creamy white and light blue walls made of light-brown beech wood. There was a large window opposite the door, a table with two comfortable chairs placed underneath it. The table was carefully set up with white porcelain, crystal glasses, candles and a light dinner, and the flickering lights of the flames burning in the fireplace bathed the beautiful scenery in their soft yellow-golden shine.

Marco finally entered the chamber fully, the large bed placed before one of the smaller sides attracting his gaze like a magnet attracted iron.

“Do you like it, Marco?” Robert had watched him silently for a few minutes, and Marco tore his eyes away from the bed and turned his head to smile at him. “Yes, very much. I just thought your rooms to be more...” He didn't know how to explain his thoughts without offending Robert, but the young earl seemed to know what he meant, because he chuckled with true amusement.

“To be darker, more depressive, that's what you wanted to say, right?”

“Hmm, yes.” Marco could feel himself blushing. Robert gestured to the table with a tender smile, his hand on the small of Marco's back gently urging him to have a seat and enjoy his dinner together with him.

“This is not the master bedroom, Marco, but my old chamber where I lived when I was too old for the nursery where Oscar still sleeps and plays. It is on the second floor right over the master bedroom and the lady's chambers, and I've always loved the view over the Pfälzer mountains you're getting when you look out of the window. I have never really felt comfortable in the rooms where my father lived when we spent the summer months here in Castle Lindelborn, they are furnished with dark oak and burgundy red curtains just like you probably thought that the private rooms of a castle's lord should look like.”

Robert pulled the chair for Marco, and the blond teacher sat down and waited for the older man to take the seat at the other side of the table. “When I came back here after my father's and my wife's death for the first time, I was so devastated that I didn't really care about where I slept, and the dark room of the former Lords of Lindelborn seemed to be fitting quite well, a perfect reminder of how dark and joyless my life had become and that I'd better not forget my duties as the new earl and my responsibilities to keep up appearances.  
Later, when I had gotten over my grief at least partly, I used the master bedroom just out of an old habit, and I guess that I simply didn't want to be reminded of the happy days when I was still young and foolish enough to think that I could have both – be happy and fulfill my duties as the Earl of Lindelborn and a single father.  
I didn't believe in love any longer until you came into my life, and sleeping in the bedroom where all of my ancestors had slept was what I thought that everyone would expect me to do. But then you came and everything changed, Marco.  
Life has become colorful and joyful again, and I don't want to rely on old habits any longer just because this is what I should do as the lord and the heir of an old aristocratic family. You showed me that I have actually a choice to make Oscar's and my own life so much better than it has been, and I remembered the rooms where I had been so happy years ago when I thought about our new life together as a real family.  
It has been years since I last visited my old chamber, but it didn't feel right to spend our first night together where I suspected that you would feel as uncomfortable as I've always done, Marco. I was serious when I told you that we are equals, and it is about time for me to move on and not dwell in old memories and regrets any longer. Moving to my old rooms where I was so much happier and more comfortable is a good start for our relationship, don't you think so?”

Marco enclosed Robert's fingers with his own, stroking the back of his hand with his thumb. “Yes, it is, Robert. You are right, I would have felt uncomfortable spending our first night in the bed where your father slept, and this chamber suits the new Robert so much better. I am touched that I was able to show you how wonderful and happy life can be, and I will do my best to make each and every day a happy day for Oscar and you, Robert.”

“I did it right then,” Robert stated contentedly, lifting the bottle with red wine to fill Marco's glass. “And I know for sure that every day with you by my side will be a good and happy one, Marco, no matter where we will be and what will happen. As long as I have you and Oscar, I will be fine, and I promise you to do my very best and make you happy every day of your life as well.”

The young earl offered Marco his glass and raised his own, his blue eyes sparkling with love and tenderness. “Cheers, love. I am so grateful and happy that you came into our life, and I promise you that our second dinner together will be much more pleasant than our first dinner was,” he said with a wink, and Marco lifted his glass as well, grinning his lopsided smile.

“Cheers, Robert. Our first dinner was for sure an evening to remember, and I enjoyed it very much even though the end was a little bit – tensed, so to speak. I had butterflies in my stomach the entire time, you were so beautiful, but there was this aura of melancholy and sadness surrounding you, and all I wanted to do was holding you and making you smile. Instead I messed everything up by telling you off.” Marco didn't dare to call Robert by a petname at this point, but he hoped that he would be able to do that before this night would be over, grinning sheepishly at the other man when he remembered what he had thrown at Robert in his righteous anger about the way Robert had used to treat his sweet son.

Robert laughed at that. “Yes, I will definitely always remember our first dinner, Marco. You were so impressive and desirable in your anger, and you were the first one actually daring to talk to me like this, opening my eyes for what I hadn't wanted to see for far too long, and I was hopelessly in love with you after that evening, even though I was pretty angry with you at first. But you were right, and I couldn't help but admire your courage and your will to protect my son and help him regardless of your own comfort and safety. You thought that I would fire you after your open and painful speech, yet you didn't hold back but told me the truth, Oscar's well-being the only thing that mattered to you. But this dinner here tonight will be even better, because I don't need to hide my feelings for you any longer, love.  
Erik and Helena helped me preparing everything for our dinner, we will be undisturbed for the rest of the night. Erik will inform us in case that Oscar should need us, and I talked to Mathilda before I came to you. She assured me that Oscar is much better than he was yesterday, I don't think that we need to worry about him tonight. You reading to him was the best medicine imaginable, Marco.”

Robert took Marco's plate to fill it with the delicious food, and his unguarded expression proved to the younger man how much the dark-haired earl loved to do that for him.

“Your love is the best medicine imaginable, Robert. Knowing that you saved him and how much you love him and care about him is what Oscar needed to recover from his sickness. That you stayed with him day and night, holding his hand and watching his sleep made him fight against his fever so he could ride with you again. Me reading to him was only a small part of his surprisingly fast recovery,” Marco gave back with a smile, letting the young earl serve him without objecting. He sensed how important it was for the man he loved so much to show him that Marco was equal to him, and he accepted the plate filled with cold meat, fresh bread and vegetables Robert handed him, his stomach growling very pleased when the delicious smell of the light meal tickled his nose.

“That's not true, Marco, and you know that! Oscar loves you deeply, and knowing that we saved him together and that you will stay and not leave him helped him surely as much as my presence did. He needs both of us, and I am just grateful that you gave me a second chance and forgave me my unforgivable behavior.” Robert looked down at his own plate, and Marco squeezed his fingers.

“Stop beating yourself, please, Robert. It is never easy to raise children, but having to do that as a single father and a young widower is even harder, and I had already admired and loved you deeply for how wonderfully you raised and taught Oscar before I knew your story. Now, I love and admire you even more, and I know now that you only wanted to protect your son from getting hurt. I understand how it must have looked like to you when you heard that I had left Oscar alone to visit the summer ball, and there is nothing to forgive, Robert, really nothing, believe me.”

“Thank you, Marco. I don't think that I deserve your love, but I am not going to complain about it.” Robert grinned like a little rascal and winked at the blond teacher, and Marco grinned back and took his fork. “I hope that you will show me how happy you are about me loving you later,” he teased the older man lightheartedly, his voice husky from his desire for the handsome earl and not from having read books for hours now.

“You bet I'll do!” Robert''s voice had dropped to a low, predatory growl, and another shiver of anticipation and desire ran down on Marco's spine. “We should hurry with our dinner then,” he stated a little bit out of breath, and the dark-haired earl with the handsome aristocratic features dug his own fork into his food rather forcefully and started to gobble it down as if he feared that someone would come and take his plate away before he had emptied it. “Yes, we should,” was all he mumbled between two large bites, and Marco chuckled and shook his head in disbelief.

“It's a good thing that Oscar can't see you at the moment. He would surely reconsider his own manners and eating habits if he did,” he remarked dryly, but the fork in his hand trembled with barely hidden arousal at the display of utter maleness in front of him. The sight of Robert finally letting go of his iron self-control and showing him his desire was more arousing than anything Marco had ever seen, and he admired the play of the well-toned muscles of Robert's arms and his shoulders, the way the young earl wore his white shirt with the rolled up sleeves and the opened buttons boosting the effect in an incredible way.

“Stop staring at me like a hungry wolf and start to eat, Marco. We have other, more important things to do, and you won't get the chance to eat anything later, I promise you,” Robert ordered after four or five seconds, when Marco continued to literally eat him with his rapturous staring, peering up at the blond from under his thick lashes with dark eyes and a meaningfully raised black eyebrow.

Marco took his fork with another cheerful chuckle and did as he had been told, his beloved lord's order being actually an order he happily obeyed, their second dinner becoming indeed a much more pleasant affair than their first evening meal had been, but also a much quicker one.


	20. A Night Full Of Passion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco and Robert have had another dinner, and now the time has come for them to finally show their deep love for each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that this chapter will be worth the long wait of Marco and Robert finally making love. I did my best to make their first time special and enjoyable to read. 
> 
> I'll post the epilogue right after this chapter, it is a shorter chapter, but I want Marco's and Robert's first time to stand on its own. Please leave comments on this chapter nonetheless and not only on the last one, it would mean a lot to me. <33

The moon was sending its silvery light through the window by the time Marco and Robert finished their dinner, gazing silently at each other as they pushed their plates to the side at the same time.

Marco sensed Robert's nervousness, and he realized that he had to take the lead for the start and guide the young lord through their first encounter without giving him the feeling that he regarded himself as the much more experienced and confident partner of their first time being intimate with each other.

Which he probably was after what Marco knew from Robert's sad story – not because of the numbers of lovers the young teacher had had, but because Marco had never been forced to hide his true feelings and pretend to be someone he actually wasn't like Robert had been forced to do all of his adult life.

Marco had had one rather serious relationship with another student that had lasted over two years, and he had had two less serious encounters that had extended over a period of several months, one in Scotland and one when he had been back in Germany. Marco had enjoyed his time with his partners, and he had always known what he wanted and explored the pleasures of making love to another man without feeling ashamed of his needs, so he surely knew much better what he liked and what he didn't like than Robert could know about his own needs at this point.

Giving the man he loved so much the time and space he needed to find out what he wanted and needed as unobtrusively as possible would be Marco's task tonight, and the young teacher smiled tenderly at the dark-haired earl and reached out to offer him his hand. “You promised me that I would be very busied after our dinner, Robert. How about showing me what you had in mind when you said that?” he asked, not ashamed of showing his desire for him openly and which gave his voice a hoarse sound.

Robert's eyes darkened to an astonishing cobalt-blue, and he took Marco's hand and elegantly rose to his feet, pulling the blond up from his chair as well.

“Would you do me the honor and dance with me, Marco?” he asked, his voice as husky as Marco's had been, and Marco came willingly into his arms with a soft smile enlightening his features. “It would be my greatest pleasure, Robert.”

They didn't have any musician to play for them, but Marco could hear the music in his mind when Robert began to dance with him, gently turning them around their axis with Marco pressed close to his warm body and swaying back and forth with him to the inaudible sounds of a wistful melody.

Robert was a very good dancer, but Marco hadn't expected any less. The young earl had always fulfilled the expectations his father and the higher society had had in him, and attending balls and dancing with young ladies had been an important part of his life as a young aristocrat.

Marco laid his head on Robert's shoulder, his nose nestled against the warm and fragrant skin of Robert's throat. He couldn't resist the temptation and pressed a gentle kiss onto it, and his beloved earl pulled him closer and caressed his back where his right hand was holding him. The fingers of Marco's right hand were entangled with the fingers of Robert's left hand right where Robert's heart was beating in a steady rhythm, and Marco could have danced with him like this for the rest of the night, the magic of the tender moment tightening his throat with emotion.

“I love you, Robert.” Marco needed to tell the other man how he felt about him, and Robert pressed their cheeks against each other and kissed his temple. “I love you too, Marco. I love you so very much. You're the light that has chased away the darkness covering everything for so long.”

Marco raised his head to look at Robert and their lips met in a tender and yet passionate kiss, telling one another without words how much they loved each other.

“I long for you, darling, I long for you so badly,” Robert confessed hoarsely when they finally parted again, Marco's lips still tingling from the tender onslaught. “Then have me,” he whispered, loosening his fingers from Robert's grasp to cup his face and stroke his warm cheek. “I long for you just as much.” He gently pulled the dark-haired earl with him as he moved backwards towards the bed, his eyes never leaving the beloved face of his beautiful lord.

Robert followed him, wonder and amazement visible in his gaze. They kissed again when they reached the edge of the bed, and Marco started to slowly and carefully undress him, taking his time to caress the smooth and warm skin he revealed. He let his fingers run over the soft curve of Robert's collarbone, trailing along the lines of the chiseled landscape of the other man's chest and abdomen.

Robert inhaled sharply when Marco reached his navel, grazing playfully over the sensitive little hole with his digit. His eyes were almost black with the force of his desire now, and Marco captured his mouth in another passionate kiss, his tongue slipping into the soft cavern and giving the man he loved with every fiber of his being a foretaste of the forthcoming pleasures that awaited him in Marco's loving arms.

The young earl let himself be kissed for a while before taking control over their tender battle for dominance again, his hands holding Marco's narrow hips in a tight grip. Marco pushed the white shirt over Robert's broad shoulders and stepped back to admire the male beauty displaying before his loving glance. Robert's skin was shimmering in the silvery light of the moon and the warm shine of the few candles that lit up the room, and Marco's breath hitched in his throat with a wave of forceful desire surging through him.

“You're so beautiful, Robert, I desire you so much,” he whispered rapturously, helping him to slip out of the sleeves of his shirt. The sleeveless white undershirt accentuated Robert's worked-out chest and his broad shoulders in a mouthwatering way, and Marco carefully hang Robert's shirt over the rack beside the bed and stepped closer to pull the undershirt over Robert's head as well, impatient to feel his beloved one without any barriers. The young earl stood perfectly still as Marco undressed him, worshiping his body with his hands and his eyes until Robert was bereft of his clothes except for his underpants. They couldn't hide his desperate longing for Marco though, and the blond teacher had to swallow when his gaze fell upon the large bulge hidden underneath white cotton, his fingers itching with the urge to touch and caress the proof of Robert's utter maleness.

But this would come later, and Marco didn't want to risk that their first time would become a quick and too short encounter because he knew that Robert would blame himself for having lost control then.

He stepped back again, smiling at him. “Undress me, Robert, I have dreamed of you peeling me out of my clothes ever since our first dinner,” he invited the older one to get familiar with him and explore him the way he had explored Robert only a few minutes ago. The dark-haired lord let out an ardent growl and invaded Marco's personal space to kiss him and do what Marco had asked him to do, and Marco lost himself in Robert's passion and love and kissed him back with all the long-suppressed desire he felt for him.

 

***

 

Robert felt like dreaming as he undressed Marco with rapt devotion, baring his lithe body bit by bit. Marco's soft pale skin shimmered like precious ivory in the dim light of the candles and the silver rays of the moon falling through the window, and Robert let his eyes roam over every inch of male beauty he exposed to his loving eyes.

The young lord felt humble and blessed that Marco returned his deep love with the same passion, and his caresses were light and tender and and expressed his devotion and gratitude for the precious gift Marco's love was for him better than words could have done.

Marco stood motionless before the bed like the marble statue of an ancient god, and Robert's desire for him took his breath away. There was no shame or even the slightest doubt about what they were doing visible in Marco's eyes, only love, passion and the same devotion Robert felt. Small sounds of pleasure made their way to Robert's ears as he opened Marco's trousers and knelt down before his beautiful lover to let them glide down on Marco's slim legs.

The young teacher stepped out of them when they were pooling around his ankles, and Robert folded them with greatest care and laid them over the rack where they joined his own clothes and Marco's shirt and undershirt. The blond's desire for him was tenting his white underpants, and Robert inhaled sharply at the arousing sight. He really needed to feel Marco close now, and he stepped forward and pulled him into a tight and passionate embrace, demanding entrance to the soft cavern of Marco's sweet mouth.

“Love you, want you, need you!” the dark-haired earl heard himself snarling with barely hidden need, and Marco melted against him and dragged his nails over Robert's shoulder-blades to show him that his desire was as strong as Robert's was.

“Need you too, need to feel you, love!” Marco murmured against his swollen lips, rubbing his swollen erection against Robert's throbbing bulge. They stumbled over to the bed, the few steps stretching to miles, and Robert heaved a relieved sigh when they fell down onto the mattress with Marco coming out on top of him. The handsome blond chuckled, a throaty sound that went straight into Robert's groin.

“There I have you where I wanted to have you for so long, my beautiful lord,” Marco purred like a big tomcat, his amber-green eyes glittering in the candlelight like precious gems. He reminded Robert of the beautiful lion he had once seen in a zoo, a powerful and majestic predator, tamable only by the one this amazing being loved with all of his heart.

A loud moan escaped his lips when Marco pulled at the last piece that covered his overwhelming desire for his golden lion, the blond's ardent gaze feeling like a real caress as he revealed the delights and last secrets of Robert's body. The young lord felt unsure and vulnerable for a brief moment, but Marco's smile when he looked him in the eyes assured him that there was nothing he needed to be ashamed of.

“You're so beautiful, Robert, you're the most beautiful being in this world. I love you so much!” Marco straddled his hips and bent down to kiss him as he wriggled out of his own underpants, throwing them to the side carelessly like he had done it with Robert's pants.

Robert's head was spinning with desire and lust, and he returned the kiss with something akin to despair, his tongue licking and probing in Marco's mouth. The blond's breathless laughter tickled at his lips, and his rock-hard member left a small wet trace on his abs, throbbing with longing and the need to be touched. He could feel Marco's hardness brushing against his own painful erection as he shifted his weight above him, deepening their kiss and clenching his fingers around Robert's tousled curls. “Do you have oil?” the blond whispered when they had to part for air again, and the young earl swallowed and nodded, jerking his head in the direction of the small table that served him as a nightstand.

Robert had never really slept with another man, his few tentative approaches with Thomas had never led to the real act, and he was unsure and didn't know what to do to make this pleasurable and as little painful for Marco as possible. His experiences with his young wife had only added to his doubts and fears, and he swallowed hard, struggling to keep his composure and not confess his uncertainties and fears to Marco and ruin the mood with that.

The only thing he actually knew about the act of lovemaking with another man was that they would need some oil to make it easier for both of them, and he had once overheard a talk between two young men in Jakub's club who had shared their experiences with both, men and women, with each other, one of them telling the other one that the one bottoming needed some stretching before the real act, the man as much as a young lady who was still a virgin.

Marco taking the bottle with the oil pulled him out of his worried thoughts, and Robert didn't get the chance to admit his ignorance and fears to him, because Marco pressed a hard kiss onto his lips before trailing hot kisses over his body as he moved down south, stopping when he reached Robert's hard nipples. The sensation of gentle teeth teasing the tiny knobs with tender bites made him mewl and forget what he had worried about, and he gasped out loudly when he watched Marco coating the fingers of his left hand with the oil to push them between his own round butt cheeks.

“What are you doing, darling?” he stammered, and Marco bared his teeth to a predatory smile, licking over Robert's throbbing left nipple as he peered up at him from under his lashes.

“Getting myself ready for you, love,” the blond said, shifting his weight to lavish attention on Robert's right nipple as well. His fingers were moving rhythmically between his thighs, pulling some moans and gasps from him, and Robert realized that it must be pleasurable for the younger man – whatever it was that he was doing to himself.

“Wouldn't this be my task?” he asked hoarsely, fearing that Marco must be disappointed by his ignorance and inexperience. Marco's eyes became dark with tenderness, and his smile turned into gentle. “The next time, love. I really need to feel you close as soon as possible, and I can prepare myself much quicker. There will be many more nights when you can do that for me, my beautiful lord.”

Marco's passionate words made Robert shiver as much as ardent lips sucking at his nipples did, and his eyes fell shut when Marco's lips started their ardent journey further down south until they reached Robert's aching arousal to close around it and gently suck on it.

Robert involuntarily arched his back and clutched the sheets, shivers of raw need wrecking him. No one had ever done this for him, and he feared that he would lose the last shreds of his self-control when Marco licked along the thick vein at the underside of his hard shaft, his lips and ardent tongue doing ineffable things to his libido.

 

***

 

Marco had always loved the feeling of another man's cock in his mouth, the way it was heavy on his tongue and throbbed between his stretched lips. He had done this before, but he had never done it for the man he loved more than life itself, and he could feel his eyes fill with tears of happiness when Robert's startled moan echoed in the fragrant air of Robert's bedchamber. His beloved lord had gone through so much pain, much more pain than any living being should experience, and his reaction proved to Marco that he must be the first one doing this for him, worshiping and pleasuring Robert this way.

Marco shifted his weight upon Robert's hips until he could wrap his right hand around the wonderful evidence of Robert's desire for him, using two fingers of his left hand to work himself open while he introduced the older one to the miracles and pleasures of making love to another man. The last time he had done this to himself had been months ago, but this was nothing Marco would ever forget again, and he soon found a rhythm that sent jolts of pleasure through his with lust and arousal flushed body, bringing him closer to the edge with every move.

He focused his attention back on Robert and the way he wanted to make him moan for him, regretting that he couldn't get him off with his mouth alone tonight. One day – or better one night – he would do it, but tonight both of them needed to feel each other as close as two beings could only be, to become one in every sense of the meaning and complete their already strong bond and their love.

Marco was very much looking forward to being Robert's loving teacher and show him everything two young men crazy in love could enjoy in each other's arms, but this night was about giving Robert what he had craved for for so long and prove to him that he was the most desirable and lovable man walking this earth for Marco.

The blond teacher swirled his tongue around the wet head of Robert's gorgeous manhood, licking up the salty droplets of pleasure he had already milked from him and teasing the sensitive slit with the tip of his tongue until he had to draw back a little bit when Robert grew harder in his mouth with his approaching orgasm.

“Ooohh, Marco, darling, this feels so good!” the dark-haired earl gasped out, writhing on the sheets as he tried to keep his hips still and not just thrust upwards uncontrolled and hurt Marco with that.

“Yes, love, enjoy it, you're so perfect in my mouth,” Marco murmured around the throbbing length, sensing how his own body relaxed and gave in to the stretching, the tight channel widening and making room for his fingers. Marco gave Robert's cock a few more licks and strokes, careful not to make him come from his ardent ministration, and when his walls started to pulse and clench, his most sensitive spot reacting to the stimulation, he pulled his fingers out and sat up, looking down at the beautiful man lying spread out before his greedy eyes.

“I love you, Robert, I love you more than I have ever loved anybody in my entire life.”

“Love you too, Marco, please...” Robert's eyes were dark, shining with his painful desire and his love for Marco, and the young teacher bent down and kissed him, deep and passionately, letting his lord in and explore his mouth while he lined him up with the oil to straddle him again afterwards. Robert moaned into their deep kiss, his tongue instinctively imitating the act of lovemaking when he felt Marco lowering himself down on his hard shaft in a slow pace, his hands coming around Marco's hips to support him.

The young teacher cupped Robert's face with both hands and deepened their kiss as he seated himself on his aroused cock, his tight passage swallowing the tender intruder with the easiness that came with the unquestioning love and the overwhelming need to become one with this amazing man. Marco had always enjoyed giving himself to his lovers, but it had never meant as much to him as this first time with Robert meant to him, and his lips whispered incoherent words of ardor and love against Robert's mouth of their own will when they were finally completely united and Robert sheathed to the hilt inside him.

A small warm drop ran over Marco's fingertips, and the blond kissed Robert's tears away with more tender words before he searched for his lips once more, kissing his lord until the older one relaxed underneath him and made a first shy attempt to pleasure both of them and thrust up into Marco's velvety heat.

Marco would have liked to stay still for a bit longer, but his own desire was too strong to ignore it any longer, demanding release and his body started the old primal dance of its own will, moving up and down on his lover's manhood until both were moaning and gasping with the intense pleasure that coursed through them.

The younger man's experience helped them to get familiar with each other rather quickly, and their kiss became more and more urgent, the heat of Marco's nearing orgasm spreading out from the end of his spine and setting his entire body on fire. This was all too new for Robert to find the small bundle of nerves deep inside Marco's secret core with each thrust, but Marco's love and desire for the beautiful man lying beneath him with passion and lust suffusing his handsome male features was enough to make Marco burn and get closer to the edge, and he moved faster, every cell of his body screaming for release.

Robert's sudden move as the older man grabbed his hips tighter to turn them around took him by surprise, and a heavy shiver wrecked his body when he saw the passionate and predatory glint in Robert's deep-blue eyes, the polite and well-controlled young aristocrat being pushed back by the dangerous hunter Robert normally kept locked deep inside him, the darker side of his fascinating personality rising to the surface with full force.

The dark-haired earl reminded Marco of the black panther he had read about during his studies, the solitary hunter of the jungle and the savanna that could never be tamed. Robert let out a growl, a sound that came deep from his throat, pushing hard into him with the next thrust, and Marco cried out with raw need, his hands clutching Robert's broad shoulders, pulling a triumphant hiss from the older one.

“You're mine, Marco, mine for all of the time.” Robert bent down to push Marco's head to the side with his mouth, and the blond teacher obeyed and bared his vulnerable throat to his ardent lover, his long legs wrapping themselves around Robert's back.

The new angle led to deeper and more powerful thrusts, and Marco's had began to spin with lust, small whimpers and mewls proving to his panther that it wouldn't take long until his prey would give him what he craved for and lose himself in the throes of passion.

Robert moved above him with the same natural grace he did everything else with, and he looked like one of these beautiful ancient gods their ancestors had worshiped centuries ago, a gorgeous Roman or Greek warrior, his thick and shiny black hair tousled and curling damp into his smooth forehead, his tanned skin covered with a thin layer of sweat and his chiseled features contorted to a mixture of love, passion and triumph.

Marco shivered under the intense gaze, Robert's blue eyes looking straight into his soul as he thrust into him again and again, conquering and possessing him like Marco had never been possessed before. He had never come easily from just being made love to, he had always needed his cock to be touched and stimulated as well, but the young teacher realized with amazement that his first time with Robert would also be the first time he would come untouched, and his throat clenched with love and emotion when he felt the well-known pleasure build deep in his groin, the pressure of his desire rising to levels where it would finally erupt in one big explosion.

His nails dug into Robert's forearms when the onslaught onto his senses became too much to bear with the next hard and deep thrust, the engorged head of Robert's manhood brushing over his sweet spot again.

Marco arched with back with a sharp cry and his vision swam with the force of his release as he spilled hot and wet against Robert's abs, his neglected cock finding enough friction to boost his satisfaction and pull another cry from him. Robert rode him through his height, hoarse words encouraging Marco to let go of everything and succumb to the intense pleasure capturing his body in almost painful waves.

The young teacher did, shaking through his mind-blowing ecstasy held safe in Robert's strong arms, and he dropped down onto the mattress when it was over and blindly searched for his lips, his desperate plea coming out in clipped sobs.

“Love please come, fill me, make me yours! Please Robert, you must come for me!”

 

***

 

Robert was driven by a hunger that came from the deepest parts of his soul, and watching the man he would die for coming undone beneath him, his beautiful face glowing with ecstasy and love, filled him with warmth and the inner peace Robert had searched for for so long without thinking that he would ever find it again.

Marco's love and ecstasy finally healed the last wounds Robert had still carried, closing the bleeding holes and making the thick and hurting scars fade to thin white lines that would itch now and then but never cause any serious pain again.

Robert held his breath as he watched his beautiful lover shudder through his climax, gratitude and happiness spreading out from his chest where his heart was beating.

“I love you, darling, love you so much, you're amazing, just show me how much you want me,” he whispered, knowing that Marco wouldn't really hear him and detect his words, but he would surely sense the meaning behind them and the tenderness they were uttered with, and this was all that mattered.

The young earl held himself back with the last shreds of his iron will, not wanting to miss anything from his beloved one's satisfaction. Marco eventually relaxed with a small happy sound, pulling him close and kissing him again.

“Love please come, fill me, make me yours! Please Robert, you must come for me!” The ardently whispered words were the last straw Robert needed, and he moved again, chasing his own release with desperate thrusts. Marco was pliant in his arms, offering himself to him with a sweetness that made Robert's eyes fill with tears.

Robert let go of everything, for once not being the controlled Earl of Lindelborn but only a simple young man deeply in love, and he muffled his ardent cry at Marco's tender lips when he came deep inside the blond's body, filling him with his seed in several powerful spurts.

“Just like that, you're wonderful, amazing, I love you so much. Give it all to me, make me yours!” Marco moaned into his mouth, pressing himself against Robert's frame and arching his back into his thrust to swallow every single drop Robert was willing to give him. Robert had never felt this way before, the few times he had found release in the arms of another human being always clouded with his fears and his bad conscience and self-hatred.

Robert hadn't known that it could be like this, that making love to another one could actually be blissful and without any regret or dread, and he buried his face on Marco's shoulder when it was over, his tears washing away the last memories of pain and horror.

Marco let him cry on his shoulder, gentle fingers carding through his ruffled hair and stroking his back, their bodies still connected where Robert's now soft cock was nestled safely against Marco's entrance.

“I love you, Robert. Oscar and you are the most important things in my life, and I will always love you with all of my heart. You're my family now, and I will follow you wherever you go as long as you want me to be with you.”

Robert raised his head to look at the man who had saved his soul, smiling at him under his tears. “Then you'll have to be with me forever and a day, I fear. One lifetime won't be enough to show you how much I love and adore you, Marco Reus.”

Marco smiled back, tenderly wiping one single tear from Robert's cheek. “I will love you forever, Robert. Nothing shall ever come between us.”

“Nothing as long as we'll live, Marco.” Robert bent his head down to seal their promise and their bond with a deep and tender kiss, and his heart felt light and like a bird that had been trapped in a cage and finally found its wings again.

The moon was bathing their naked bodies in its silvery shine when Marco and Robert fell asleep in each other's arms later that night, their lips curled into soft and happy smiles.

Love and happiness had found their way back to Castle Lindelborn at last, the love of a young teacher that had healed a lonely young lord's broken heart and brought a new family to a lonely young boy.

From this night on, Robert and Oscar would never be alone and lonely again, and Robert's dreams were filled with hope and happiness, dreams of a bright future together with his son and his beloved Marco, no matter where they would be and what would happen.

As long as they were together, they would be fine, and this was all Robert, Earl of Lindelborn needed to know.


	21. Epilogue: One Year Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What the title says, a look into Marco's life with his beloved Robert and Oscar one year later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My dear readers, 
> 
> this is the end of the story about Lord Robert and his beloved teacher Marco. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
> 
> I also want to thank all of you who have supported this story with kudos, comments and bookmarks, your support was what made me write and finish this story and not give up on it. Thank you so much for taking the time and showing me that you enjoyed it, your feedback and support has helped me through many dark hours this year has brought to me and my family. <33

_Exactly one year after Marco's and Robert's first night:_

 

“Erik, Nuri, we're back!”

Oscar climbed out of the carriage to storm over to the two young men waiting for him with opened arms and huge smiles on their faces.

Summer had come to Castle Lindelborn again, and Robert, Marco and Oscar were back where they belonged, on top of one of the mountains of their beloved Pfälzer Forest, back in their beloved castle.

After Oscar's sickness the previous summer, Robert had made some arrangements, and the small and uncommon family spent the winter months in Tübingen now, where Marco had began to study archaeology as one of Professor Hummels' students. The handsome professor and Robert knew each other since their childhood because their fathers had been friends, and Mats Hummels had agreed to take Marco as his student after several talks and tests.

Marco was still officially Oscar's teacher, and Mats had even allowed the young boy to attend some of his lectures now and then. Robert had bought a comfortable house in Tübingen, and Mathilda, Sebastian, Jenny and Helena saw to their household in Tübingen while Erik, Nuri, Lars and Sven stayed in Castle Lindelborn during the winter months. Erik's sister Lisa and her family had moved to Castle Lindelborn as well, Robert had offered them a new home and jobs when their own house in Vorderweidenthal had caught fire and they had lost everything overnight. Erik and Nuri lived in adjoined rooms now and were happier than ever, the seclusion of their home granting them that they could live their love openly and without fear.

Robert had renovated the old villa in Bad Bergzabern where his father had lived and where Oscar had been so unhappy, it was a school for those children whose parents couldn't afford the money for the books and the school fees now, and he payed the families of each pupil a monthly salary to make sure that their parents would send them to school and not let them work to earn money instead.

One of the teachers of Robert's special school was Thomas Müller, Robert's first love, he had come back to Germany to settle down near the grave of his beloved sister shortly before Marco, Robert and Oscar had moved to Tübingen last autumn. Marco had been surprised that he hadn't felt any jealousy when he had heard who the handsome young man was Robert had hired, but it was clear that Robert and Thomas could never be more than close friends again after all that had happened, and Marco really liked the young man with the unique eyes and the crooked boyish smile. He hadn't met him in person so far, but he had seen a picture of him, and Robert had told him a lot about his brother-in-law and his way of teaching.

It had been hard for Thomas to settle in in Germany again, and he had had a long talk with Robert both of them had needed, gladly accepting Robert's offer to work in his school and live in the small flat that belonged to the large building for the start.

Thomas was a wonderful teacher, and he got along very well with the two other teachers, Mr. Höwedes and Mr. Weigl, the latter being the teacher Mr. Pepper had fired because he had been caught holding hands with another man. The three young men had become friends pretty quickly, and they had promised to visit Robert and Marco in Castle Lindelborn when they would come back next summer.

Marco took Robert's hand to let his beloved lord help him out of the carriage now, and he closed his eyes for a moment and inhaled deeply the fresh air, the warm rays of the sun kissing his face. Oscar was running around excitedly he could hear his shouts of joy, Erik and Nuri running after him as they tried to catch him, and nothing reminded of the defiant and unhappy young boy he had been when Marco had come here for the first time any longer.

They would spend the summer in Castle Lindelborn, and Marco would be Professor Hummels' assistant during the excavations of Castle Trifels during the warm months. There would be enough time to teach Oscar and enjoy some rides and walks with his two beloved ones as well, and the young teacher opened his eyes again to smile at the dark-haired earl who had trapped his heart without any chance to ever give it back again.

“I'm so happy to be back home again, love,” he said, “I know that home is where the heart is, but Castle Lindelborn will always be my real home when it comes to special places.”

Robert lifted his hand to his mouth to press a quick kiss onto Marco's fingers. “It's the same for me, Marco. I will always be at home everywhere on this beautiful earth as long as I am with you and Oscar, but Castle Lindelborn is the most beautiful place in the world, and it is the place where I want to grow old with you one day.”

Robert had also decided to make Mario Götze his junior partner and let him do most of the traveling in the future to spend more time with his son and help Marco with his studies, supporting his friend's excavations in the Pfälzer Forest with his money and be a part of them as one of the excavators. Marco had met Mario Götze when the young man had visited them in Tübingen together with his partner André Schürrle last month, and he was sure that Robert's business was in the best hands possible with the two young businessmen.

“Daddy, paps, come over here!” Oscar now shouted, bouncing up and down and beaming all over his face. “You promised me that we would have a picnic under our tree in the rose garden!”

“We're coming, Oscar!” Robert shouted back, turning his head to smile at Marco. “Come on, darling, our home is waiting for us,” he said tenderly, and Marco took his hand and entangled their fingers to walk over where their friends and family where waiting for them with happy faces.

“Yes, Robert, it is. The most wonderful home imaginable.”

And together Marco and Robert walked over to where Mathilda, Sebastian, Helena, Jenny and the others were standing, waiting for their lord and the young teacher to come home again, holding hands and stepping right into a bright and happy future.

 

_The End_

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave feedback, each kudo and comment makes me insanely happy and motivates me to write and post more for you to enjoy. :-)


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